I WON!!!

YES!!!  It's true I won Mark Montano's THE BIG ASS BOOK OF CRAFTS 2!!!  I am so excited!! AND.... I have recently purchased a house, THRILLED and NERVOUS all at once...  Don't worry there will be pictures!!  I cannot believe I am a home owner again!! 
But for now...   I WON!!!!

Somebody's having a BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Tomorrow is Sweet P's birthday!!!!!  Hip HIP HOORaaaayyYYY!!!!  I can hardly wait!!  Although I always wish I could afford to buy more stuff for the sweetest man on the Planet...I still feel like this birthday will be a very heartfelt and homemade celebration!!  And here is the reason why....

 Okay...  I used a cake mix... but Rome wasn't built in a day people!!!  HA HA!!!  P decided that he would like a strawberry cake for his birthday and well...  I may have gone overboard, just a bit ~

Here is just a bit of the strawberry cake mix on my mixing spoon... the question you are asking your self is... Did I lick it?  OF course I did!!!  What kind of baker do you think I am???  I must test it all..  he he!!
For quality, right?? 

Here it is in the NEW cake pans I purchased just for this GREAT cooking adventure!!!  If you know me personally you know that I just don't bake, cook, or explore the kitchen that often...  But today was actually FUN and I am so excited for P to see what I have made just for HIM!!

 Okay, this is the 2nd layer, I forgot to take a picture after I gussied up the top... So here is what I did ~

 First thing I did was put strawberry frosting on top, then I added strawberry preserves...

 Then strawberries on top of that!!!! 

 Here it is at 3 layers!!!  I know this is incredible!!!  For me... THIS IS INCREDIBLE!!!  LOL

The cake at 4 layers total!!  So now it's just chillin in the freezer waiting for the final covering of icing!!!  I know it looks a bit uneven, but like I said, "Rome wasn't built in a day"... 

In the mean time here are some cool presents that I purchased for P...  Lately we have both grown very tired of young Hollywood, so its back to classics!!!  Here I have a classic film noir - Call Northside 777, and Sunset Boulevard, From Here to Eternity ( this one is a fav of us both), and I thought he might enjoy The Bridge On The River Kwai.  I am still waiting for one more, keeping my fingers crossed that it comes by tomorrow!! 

 So earlier today I was slicing strawberries and I loved the inside of this strawberry with the little heart....  Future painting?  I think so!!!!
 

 And drummmmm rolllllllllllll pleaseeeee....  Here it is all covered up with butter cream frosting, yes out of a plastic container...  but still delicious!!!  Mmmmmmmmm....  AND Yes I again, licked my fingers, the spatula, and the knife too!!!  HA ha ...  I am really wondering why I don't bake more often...  BUT Thank goodness I don't with all this licky goodness, I would be even BIGGER!!!!  Yikes!!  So maybe once a year won't hurt, too bad!!!  Hummmmm....   
I do know that is going to be ONE sweet cake, meaning rich, and we are going to need a Gallon of MILK to drink with it!!!  LOL  Opppssss.....

 Here are P's final 2 gifts...  Created with my own 2 hands, imagination, and happy thoughts about him, the whole time I was working on them!!  It is a bit nerve racking making something like this for someone...  How about they don't like it or get it??? 
This is a painting of P's mandolin.  The very first time I saw it, with all of its curly ques and character, I knew I wanted to paint it!!!  It took me forever!!!  I would work on it be frustrated and then stop..  but finally I am happy with the finished painting!  I hope P is too!!!! 

A little close up view...  Lots of color!!  It makes music after all!!! 

 This painting I started just in case I wasn't able to finish the Mandolin... P is a man who loves his apples...  So this is just a little ways of saying "P, you are the apple of my eye!!"

 I had so much fun with this painting!!!  I did a lot of it with my fingers!  Finger painting can be very therapeutic!!  It wasn't going to be a open apple...  it just sorta happened that way!!! 

  Here is a little close up detail...  FUN, huh???  Well I better get busy around here, the birthday boy is back later today and tomorrow we celebrate Sweet P!!!!!  C U later... V !!

Ohhhhh EmmmM GeeeeEEEE....

It has been brought to my attention that I do not have my "Garden Party Dress" painting on here...  So with our further A dooooo....

This little number is a 16 x 20 gallery wrapped heavy duty canvas.  My first "for sale' painting.... To be absolutely honest, I really love this painting a lot, sooooo if it doesn't sell??  Will I really be that upset?  Probably NOT!!!  LOL  Well gotta run and get ready for my paying job...  The Flower Shop!!!  Wedding to finish up today and deliver all the lovely flowers to the happy Bride and Groom tomorrow!!  Tough life, huh???  Love to all and thanks for stopping by!!  V 

The Latest!!

Here is the latest in painting fun!!! It took forever on my cow, but I am finally happy with her!!!
I call it "Caught In The Act!"

A little Eiffel Tower Fun!!! Who doesn't love Paris!!  Especially people who have never been there, right??  LOL

This bee was done in class, and in true fashion, as of late anyway, I brought her home and did a few re-dos on her...  So far so good!!! 

Today I will hang out with my granddaughter and who knows the trouble we will get into!!!  All I know is it will be FUN!!!!  Hope you have a Super Fun day too!!!!!  V

Art Art Arty Mc Arterton!!!!

yep... I'm making ART!!!  So is everyone else and it is FAB!!  Last year I was introduced to a great art studio How Great Thou Art/Kid's Art Studio.  Well it's not just for kids anymore BABY!!  Cause Rachel, the owner, has Ladies paint nite, where we all go and art it UP!!  Here are just a few examples of what I have done so far...  Be kind, who ever you are....  you know who you are!!  LOL

 This was the first painting -  it is in the process of being changed up a little...  LOL

Megan inherited this one...  The Path...

 The Peace dove -  one of my favorites!

The whimsical tree -  I said Whimsical... not Scary!  ;-)

The dancing Pear....

The peacock... another Fav...

Cupcakes..  this took two tries..  one in class and then a Re-do at home!

 Same thing with this little lady...  finished at home!

The Dandies...

 The Poppy!

 The Artichoke...  Rainbow flavored~

The Red Door...  Redone at home...

And of course I have branched out on my own... so without further a-do...

 The Party Dress

Pear in Pink

 Daffodil

 Untitled ...  P has the perfect title for this..  I just forgot it~~ 

 Angel Pear

Tulips for Megan

Peace for mom

An angel of a different color

Asparagus ~ Rainbow flavored...

 Umbrella Girl..

 Girls...

 Her heart

 Their Hearts

His Heart

So there you have most of the stuff I have done lately..  so that's what I have been up too lately, well, actually for a few months now!!!  And I LOVE IT!!!  and that is what really matters after all, right?  Doing, finding, discovering something that you LOVE!!!!

FOrEvER.....

It has been forever since I posted to this blog!!!  I guess I had nothing to say or was just to busy to say it???  Whatever the case may be...  I am posting today!!  Today I am just S-A-D... about myself and the condition I have allowed myself to get into!!!  I need to lose weight...AGAIN!  What else it new??? 
I have needed to lose weight every since I had my first child and even when I was OK and should have revealed in being OK...  I didn't!!  Then I actually lost weight and even then I wasn't proud of myself...  I never gave myself an ATTA GIRL...  I just hung my head, in shame that I needed to lose SO much weight in the first place!!  So now it comes again...  I need to lose weight!!  Maybe not as much as I needed to 6 or 7 years ago, but IT feels like I need to lose that much weight again...  I am wondering where the motivation came for me then, to get on a strict diet, stay on it...  NO CHEATING, EVER!!  For 10 months and lose 85 pounds... and where is the woman that did that?  Why can't I find her?  Where is the woman who just 2 years ago was walking 2 Miles everyday and also doing yoga for 20 mins in the morning?  WHERE HAS SHE GONE!!!  I am so disgusted with myself and I am afraid that I am never going to get that back again???  WHY oh Why is it so hard for me to just DO IT??!!  Where will I find motivation to save myself and become happy and healthy again...  To stop indulging the monster within me that rages and is never satisified, both with food or with herself?  This has to stop and I have to be the one in control of myself and the raging monster within!!! 
IT is time to change my habits and to become that woman again that cares about herself and that is control of her eating habits and exercise habits.  The woman that I have been in the past and will be once again...