Gone To The Dogs (and cats too)

Surprise!

I know. Maybe you're saying "what ever happened to that Petunia chick" right? She's around. Just not in blogland so much but with somewhat of an excuse.

Some of you know that my life has literally gone to the dogs. Dog rescue, that is. I've spent the past year volunteering for a pit bull rescue and also at my local city shelter.

I adopted Isis, my own shelter rescue, who's been making me laugh and smile the last 12 months.

And of course I already have this little lady. Luna, my other rescue baby.

They now coexist happily and though Isis might not want to admit it, she and Luna are quite fond of each other now. Luna even introduced Isis to her favorite morning ritual which is "look cute for the mama until she gives you a piece of toast".

My art desk occasionally (OK, rarely) sees any action but I still get that creative bug so I've found other ways to indulge my muse.

Like making parade tutus for our shelter dogs like Shayna here, who I had the honor and pleasure of walking in our city Pride Parade this weekend.

By the way, this amazing, sweet, clever, beautiful girl is still waiting for her forever home. She keeps getting passed up while the itty bitty yappy dogs get snapped up in a heartbeat. Go figure.

Yesterday I tried my hand at canine cake making.

This wee little cake was for Isis to celebrate her one year adoption anniversary!

As you can see, it was a big hit!

Here's the super easy no bake recipe.

Isis Delilah Roo's No-Bake Fancy Cake

- 1 cup kibbles (or however much you want to feed your pup). I smashed them in a bag with a rolling pin    until  it looked like ground beef.
- Mix in plain yogurt and peanut butter so everything sticks together. You also use pumpkin puree or add      other goodies like fruit and veggies.
- To make the layers I filled a small bowl and an empty cat food can with the mix.
- To make the icing, mix plain yogurt, peanut butter and a little honey.
- Take the cake out of the molds and spread icing over the bottom layer.
- Add the second layer and ice the top.
- Decorate with doggie treats and serve or refrigerate for later.
- Watch the fun begin!

I did light the candle and started bringing the cake to her but she definitely didn't care for the flame so out it went. Other than that I think she loved it.

Miss Isis is undeniably a princess. She and Luna are spoiled rotten and that makes me happier than a witch on Halloween. Which is fabulous indeed.

I hope you're having a grand month of June and no matter what you have planned this summer, make it magical, brilliant, creative and full of fun!

Autumn in Midsummer

I woke up to an overcast and blustery Sunday today. A brisk cold wind greeted me when I stepped outside to let Isis, my newest fur baby out. Hard to believe the first day of Summer just passed and even harder to believe that one week from now we're expecting 107 degree days. So I savored this autumn like day and found myself wanting to create, something I haven't really done in a while.

Isis was one of the pit bulls I worked with at the shelter through the pit bull rescue group I volunteer with. She was so much fun to train and had such a sweet, silly personality. It was so hard for me to try to get her adopted because I kept falling in love with her and after about 2 months I decided to foster her. A few days later we decided to adopt her.

 

 

She and my Luna are still in the very early stages of getting to know each other. Luna is definitely not happy about having this new intruder in her house so she's mostly hiding in the bedroom. I'm crossing my fingers that Isis will be good to her and that they'll eventually get along.

 

 

Much to my delight Isis doesn't mind being dressed up. We were in a parade last weekend and she happily wore a vest, scarf and a paper tutu! She'll patiently sit to have her scarf tied on and even let me put a glittery foam tiara on her head.

 

Since we're walking in our neighborhood 4th of July parade I decided to make her a fun tulle tutu this morning. She let me try it on her several times and finally posed for her picture when it was done.

 

For a great super easy tutorial on how to make your own doggie tutu

visit Pitlandia.

 

 

Although I haven't been doing a lot of art lately I still pick up my paint brushes now and then. This is a painting of Lola, another one of the wonderful pit bulls I was training. She recently found her forever home and is now named Athena. Though I'm always happy to see our pups get adopted it's always bittersweet for me because I really love all of them.

 

I hope you had a magical solstice.

 

Happy Summer and have a safe 4th!

 

 

 

 

 

late fall, kitty eyes and gratitude

Fall arrives very late in northern California, especially here in the Central Valley. I always envy friends that post gorgeous fall colors in September and October since it's not unusual for us to have the ac running while we're carving pumpkins. But I can't complain because this past Halloween was perfectly magical.

 

 

By November it finally looks and feels like a real autumn. The Japanese maple in my backyard is bursting with miniature orange and crimson leaves.

 

 

There is a carpet of deep violet foliage under LaLou's plum tree, blanketing her favorite spot.

 

 

I still miss her dearly and it's nearly a year now since I said goodbye to that sweet little cat. I sat in her spot for a minute and wondered what the world looked like under her tree.

 

 

How did all the trees look through her pretty kitty eyes?

 

 

Did she like padding up the leaf covered walkway that led to my backdoor? Did she know how she made my heart smile when I saw her through my kitchen window?

 

 

I really miss my beautiful green eyed fur baby.

 

 

Maybe it's because my Luna has a little cold right now and I hate it when pets are sick no matter how insignificant it is. But she is doing better and I think she's ready for the cooking and feasting that's about to come.

 

 

I'm looking forward to seeing my small family tomorrow, mom, my brother, his wife and their two little dogs. I started on a few things and the rest we will do together tomorrow.

 

 

Whatever delights you will be enjoying this last harvest holiday I hope you're having them in a warm, cozy home and in the company of family and friends. I am truly grateful for mine.

 

Happy Thanksgiving

 

 



shoe bliss

 

Wow, what an amazing collection of altered shoes my ladies created for the witch shoe challenge! I loved every single one. You absolutely put me to shame which is a good thing. I'm so inspired by your creativity that I'm going to challenge myself to kick it up a notch.

 

I have slowly been making my way back into creating after putting my muse on hold for a while. I filled up my autumn calendar with several events to give myself a push so I hope it's starting to work. It helps to know there are things I need to get done whether I'm feeling creative or not.

Now that it's officially Fall I look forward to familiar rituals to foster that autumnal atmosphere regardless of the very summer like weather we still have this time of the year.

 

 

Do you have a favorite mug? It's finally time to bring my favorite fall mug out of the cupboard. This is part of a set of four I've had for oh 16 years or so. Hot chocolate always tastes better in a witchy mug. Can you see my Luna sitting back there by my work table? She's had an upset tummy the last few days but she's better now after I changed her kibbles.

 

 

Thank you so much again to all the awesome shoe makers. I know we're a small group right now but there is definitely no shortage of talent and creativity in our little shoe coven. So I thought perhaps I might try to make this a seasonal gathering. Anyone up for doing an altered winter shoe in December?

 

Have a great week. Don't forget to come back on Saturday for my Moonlight Party Under the Big Top post for Bliss Angels.

 

 



do i see what you see?

Each time I go on Blogger I just become more and more frustrated. Posting has been a challenge, particularly if I have lots of pictures to post.....the WBC post took a LOT of patience. I haven't seen my followers gadget in ages and just the other day I realized not all the Blogger fonts show up the same way on different browsers.

I've been using IE7 for ages. I can't upgrade to 8 because it crashes my poor old computer. Blogger did a systems upgrade recently and I think IE7 doesn't support a lot of it which is why my followers gadget suddenly went missing.

So I downloaded Google Chrome and voila....I see my followers when I use Chrome! But the font I use for my blog looks really weird and pixelated. This totally baffles me. Doesn't Google own Blogger? Why would their browser not support web fonts they offer on their blogger site?

Maybe it's just me and this old laptop of mine. Any of you have similar woes? Can you tell me if the font I use looks normal or is it weird and blurry (that's what it looks like to me in Chrome). And are you able to load multiple images in Blogger? I used to up until last week. Now I can load one picture and I have to exit out of the editor each time I need to load the next one. Yes. The WBC post nearly made me want to give up blogging all together....at least until I can upgrade either my system or my computer.

Anyway, I was also going to add more about the Artful Bag Challenge ATC swap and also stuff about the HP movie but I'll save it for the next post. So really quickly...

I already have a few sign ups for next month's ATC swap theme and if you're interested in swapping please email me soon.

Also the Harry Potter movie was amazing of course and we have already seen it twice! I'll tell you more next time.

Those are older pictures of Luna up there, when she was still a kitten. I just love them and it's exactly how I feel about this Blogger thing, lol. Be back soon.

a hat for luna

Since Princess Beatrice recently put up her now infamous Philip Treacy fascinator on Ebay for charity, my Luna thought she would show you how fabulous it looks on her! Current bids are up to $122,000 and ends tomorrow. I think I might have to pass but I'm glad it's for a great cause.

Hope you're all having a fabulous weekend.

 

january blissfull atc swap

First Blissfull ATC swap for the year. The theme for January is

white and/or snow and my swap partner is Patti  from Treasure Barn.

Here is the beautiful card she sent me.

Love the gorgeous snow bird and how she framed

it with the soft yellow and pink.

Patti also included this little image which

I love love love!

It just made me smile and I thought of how many

of us have husbands that probably wonder the same thing.

I had to put it up on my inspiration board so I

can look at it everyday.

Thank you Patti! I love them both.

And here is the ATC I sent her.

I found this picture of a beautiful snow fox in a calendar

I just took down. The snow on the branches is

the stuff you use on miniature trees and winter villages.

I also sent Patti a little tag I made using a coffee

filter and vintage sheet music. I aged everything with

my favorite Vintage Photo distress ink pad.

You know I really love doing this ATC swap. I look forward

to working on a new theme each month and meeting

a new artist to swap with. I learn more with each one I make

and the best part is finding a little work of art

in my mailbox everymonth.

Thank you Wendy for all the work you put into making

this a great and fun swap!

Stop by Blissfull ATC Swap to see the January

cards or to play along.

Speaking of blissfull.....here is my Luna, dreaming of tuna perhaps :)

pink saturday

Happy Pink Saturday and thank you to our hostess Beverly
at How Sweet the Sound.

Come shopping with me at Home Goods and see the fun pinks I found.

How can I not take a picture of this pink 'A'?

I'm always tempted to get something like this and

then I think 'Do I really need it?'

The bedding behind it was very pretty though. This was in the little

girl's section where the entire aisle was an explosion of pink.

How now pink cow?

I thought this little cow was too adorable.

And this cuddly pink piggy is actually a dog toy.

I couldn't stand the thought of her being chewed up by a dog so I

bought her and took her home and named her Prudence!

 

Here's a pair of fancy pink earrings from Aurora Bijoux

(not from Home Goods) to go along with  a comment I read recently.

A woman's friend was telling her she could still fit into her high school jeans

so she quickly replied 'Well I still fit into my high school earrings!'

I thought that was cute.

Finally, I was out of town for a few days this week and I really

missed my Luna. When I got home she wouldn't stop

following me everywhere. She has the cutest

little pink nose so I thought I could sneak her in here!

♥

Have a great weekend everyone and be sure

to visit Beverly for lots more pink!

and the winner is.....

The time had come at last to choose the winner for my Mad Tea Party giveaway. The prize included the Visual Guide Book to Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, a set of Frosted Petunias whimsical antique keys and a wondrous tube of lavender hand cream by Boots of London.

The choosing of the name happened underneath the gypsy chandelier.

Garlands and ribbons where hung to celebrate the happy event.

And a name for my little 'studio' workspace came

to me while I was making this...

....a magical trunk to hold the names.

But that's for another time.

16 Tea Party revellers entered to win.

The trunk was filled while a pink fairy watched nearby.

She had been living in the trunk you see until

someone stuffed it with all this blue paper!

La-la-la-la-la.....

It's time!

The trunk was turned the other way to ensure there

would be no peeking!

Luna did a fabulous job making sure all was fair...

and that we had plenty of raspberry ribbon just in case.

And finally we have a winner!

Kathi from Reimagined Remnants and Treasures!

Here is her post:

Oh MY! this was a Very DelightFul time! REALLY made me want to be there!! Your decorations made my chest ache they were so colorful and fun! Happy 100th post too! I would love to be entered in your giveaway! The Alice book and your wonderful keys!!!...oh, yea! Thank you for this lovely party...Kathi

Congratulations Kathi!! Thank you for coming to

my tea party. Enjoy your prizes!

Perhaps the blue instead of the raspberry!

What do you think?

Thank you to everyone who stopped by and left a lovely comment.