Baby, It's Cold Outside!

But I'm as snug as a bug in a rug inside! 

Decided it was time to put my scissors and paper trimmer to work!

The cardboard box contains two brown paper grocery sacks stuffed to the gills and overflowing with paper food and product packaging.

This is my word box.

All words, cut out from packaging, extra stamp offs and confetti wording go into this pencil box. I use them on artist trading cards (atc's), artsy greeting cards, my Documented Faith scripture art journaling pages, glue-book pages, etc. 

When I don't have a individual word I can use, I dip into my letter pouch and spell out the word I need. I've separated the letters into snack sized zip bags. I also have a few alpha stickers in the back. It looks more artsy if the lettering doesn't match. I also have some punctuation and numbers as well. 

I may keep some images for my atc image collection and if there are any leftover pieces large enough for atc's of packaging left, it will get cut up into atc blanks and put away into a shoebox that I keep for that purpose. 

A perfect job for a cold snowy day! 

Scripture Art Journaling 2018

I'm still following Stephanie Ackerman's Documented Faith 

and receiving her scriptures by a weekly email. 

But this year, instead of using a 3-ring binder notebook,

I'll be art journaling the scriptures in a spiral, 5.5" x 8.5" (14 x 21.6 cm) 

Strathmore Sketch book 

and hanging it in my kitchen this way so I can read 

and meditate on the scriptures while I do my daily kitchen chores. 

If you want to see details, click on the photo to enlarge.

I'll be sharing what I consider my best pages. 

I've doodled this introduction page. 

Ain't it cute? 

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Cover on front and back. The flower is a Stephanie Ackerman Sizzix die 

that I cut out on my Cuddlebug using white cardstock,

 then water-colored, Sharpie stitched, and glued the parts together. 

I may add more to the front later -- haven't decided.
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Here I repurposed some used note-pad tea-cups and water-colored a lattice pattern in blue

around the stenciled dots. 

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Can you tell I have a theme going here? smile!

I had been tracing a line for the scripture box with a pencil and ruler, but decided that making a window mask with a bit of clear packaging would make it easier to trace around 

and I could use it for eyeballing placement. I've been experimenting with spritz paint and used 

Tim Holtz's cross-stitch stencil. 

By the way, that "Salted Caramel" tea flavor is yummy! 

And low-cal, when I use stevia to sweeten it!
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Inspiration: May-May's Scripture Art Journaling Page 

May-May not only inspired me to design my page similar to her's but she also inspired me to use a separate sheet of cardstock and glue it to the page which prevents two foreseeable problems with using the sketch-book. The Sketch-book's pages are perforated near the spirals and I had been using masking tape on the backside of the pages to prevent the pages from tearing and also, since I'm a magnet for oopsies messes, I can turn the cardstock over if I make a mistake. I cut a 8.5" x 11" piece of cardstock in half and then cut off a quarter of an inch from one side to make it the perfect size for the page. I don't have a cri-cut, only my Cuddlebug, so used what I had - a tea-cup stamp that I stamped twice (once on the cherry paper and again on colored cardstock), fussy -cut and assembled. 

Then I traced around a tea-pot favor that I've had for years. 

And while I can doodle scallops, I decided to trace around a new stencil that I die-cut from clear packaging using a Christmas gift -- a Tim Holtz On the Edge Sizzix scallop die.

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Inspiration: Monica of "Because Jesus Bible Journaling"

I doodled and stamped this scripture art journal page!
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Inspiration: a Tea-riffic  Card!
I decided to create ahead when I get inspired, so here's the next one! The sentiment is doodled and the cups are stamped, just like the above one!

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I didn't know if I liked my version or not of this one, 
but after I got it up in my kitchen, it began to grow on me. 

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My friend, Karen, gave me flyers from a Christian company called Prince of Peace, 

a tea that she regularly consumes. I fussy cut the tea cups, brand name, & a heart from the flyers and attached them to the inked masking tape background, then gave it a clear coat of mod-podge. The ink lifted a little and made the scripture strips look a little grungy. 

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I should finish this notebook. . .  

Fabulous Freebies!

My current soapbox is to please find and use substitutes for those pre-1940s historical records that historians and genealogists such as myself use to document the stories of our ancestors. Former President Harry S. Truman said to learn about history, he read biographies, however, we cannot write or read them, if people destroy records while creating their artwork! 

Some of the records I'm talking about are the favorites of vintage grunge artists like accounting or ledger books, bills & receipts, old photographs and glass or plastic film negatives, handwritten letters or recipes, maps, newspapers, school reports, etc. Genealogists drool at the thought of another record to attach to their ancestors and there are websites scattered throughout the internet that love scans of old records. I know this because I have googled them researching my 3rd great-grandparents and have contributed to several. 

Tim Holtz (or your favorite vintage or shabby chic artist) has techniques and products that can transform your basic white or manila paper into antique looking works of art. You can also scan and print or photocopy old papers on your computer and then donate the originals to your local historical or genealogical society (most counties or states have one). You can also find reproducible, some free, images and papers online (check out Pinterest) to print off. And here are some of my favorites!

 Art-e-zine Vintage Images 

Aunt Annie's Printable Papers

Calendar & Planner Printables

Chronicling America Newspapers See if you can find an ancestor recorded in one of these newspapers before 1963, then you will have a newspaper article or ad for your heritage scrapbook. 

Clipart frames. 

Convert a Photo into Cross-stitch Patterns for FREE!

Coloring Club Database

Color by Number coloring sheets. 

Crafty Secrets Printable

Creative Art n Soul Printables

Dead Fred Photographs

Stuck for a doodle while sketch-noting? See the Noun Project website for help.

If you don't find what you are looking for at the Noun Project website, here's a Clip-Art Library website!  

Dover Publishing Sampler E-news

For Scrap-bookers: Birth Year Happenings

FREE Printable Coloring Sheets from Mary Engelbreit 

FREE Printable Coloring Sheets

FREE Printable Lantern Templates here! 

More FREE Printable Coloring Sheets from God's Fingerprints

FREE Pretty Things for You

Gabby Braun's Printable Legs

Graphic Fairy

Green Paper

Jason Liebig’s Flickr photos of his candy wrapper collection 

Marvy Uchida Coloring Sheets

Missouri Death Certificates. See if you can find an ancestor in Missouri between 1910 and 1970, then you will have a death certificate for your heritage scrapbook.  

MY FREE Printables -- Sorry! A Troll came along and helped themselves to an important document of mine that wasn't included in the deal, so at this time, none of my free printables will be available.  

Paint by Number Generator (off-site)

Also check out my Community tab on YouTube as I've added freebie's there also from other YT channels.  The video tab to the => right at the top of the page will get you there. 

From Splitcoast Stampers forum = Need a poem?

Pinterest: 
Paper: Ideas

Printable Ledger Papers

Printable Sheet Music

Printable Paper Dolls -1

More - 2

Ransom Note Generator (Printable)

QUILT BLOCK CHART

QUOTES:

"A picture is worth a thousand words." (Napoleon Bonaparte)

Shabbydabbydodah

Substitutes for old ledger paper. Print your own and coffee stain them.

Stampington's Dress Template

State Tourist Department Maps & brochures from local Tourist Offices or online. 

Tim Coffey Art Digi's

The Vintage Moth

Topsy-Turvy Doll w/ free sewing pdf pattern

Vintage Photos from the Missouri State Archives

Brace Bling

A year and a half ago I was diagnosed with drop foot. My prescription was a steel brace attached to my  right shoe. I wondered how I could pretty it up, but didn't want to glue anything to the brace in case I got tired of it and then couldn't remove it.  So I saw these flowers at Pinterest and wondered if I had something here at home that would make something similar in my stash and yep, I did have something.  

I have no idea what I saved these pieces of Velcro from, but I measured the circumference of both my cane and my brace and I found two pieces that would work! 

If you want to make some Velcro pieces like mine,  overlap two pieces of Velcro about 3/4" inch so that the join is in the middle (mine have a stitched on tag board piece over the join which you don't have to have) with the loops on one side facing towards the back and the fabric that the loops attach to  faces towards the front. The whole length for the brace is 3 1/4" (inches) long and the piece for the cane is 4 1/2" (inches) long.  You can stitch or hot glue the Velcro pieces together. 

Next I found some flowers that were attached to wires.

I punched two holes in the cardboard with this teeny-tiny diameter hole punch . . .

and threaded the two wires through and pulled it tight. Then I twisted the wires closed and pushed them down into a spiral against the back of the Velcro strap, wrapped it around both my cane and brace to see how they fit and Viola! Almost instant bling! 

One flower. . . 

Or many! I could almost skip through a garden in these, don't you think? 😊

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20 Aug 2018

My cane flower didn't last long as it got knocked around too much, but I get compliments on my brace one frequently. I decided now that I'm using two canes because of vertigo and hip pain, I needed a station to park them at during the night. My husband found these Command - brand broom grippers at Walmart and I attached them to this cabinet next to my nightstand, so they are within easy reach when I get out of bed. And yes, I'll have to open both doors to get into the top cabinet if the canes are still attached, but that's no problem to me. 

Two tips I wanted to mention -- since January, I've been using a C-Pap machine for sleep apnea. (I also have a nebulizer for asthma). That's my c-pap up on my nightstand. I have a case for it and I take it when traveling as both are medical devices that I need.   I purchased an extension cord and that little stepping stool at Walmart in the children's department for $10.00 and poured some of the distilled water into a plastic water bottle with a tight fitting lid to take with us. The little stepping stool pops out as a little stand for my c-pap during the night if I sleep on the side of a motel bed without a nightstand. 

Also, the black cane's foam handle was beginning to split from wear and tear and we could not find a replacement. I saw a video at YouTube in which a lady had used tennis racket handle tape on her baby's stroller handle and yep, Walmart carries it back in the sporting goods department. I used a little daisy decorative duct tape to fasten the end down and I'll tell you, the tennis tape makes  a most comfortable handle over the top of the foam.

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21 May 2022

A lot of water has gone under the bridge since I wrote last. I no longer wear the brace, but do wear a built up shoe on the same side as I wore the brace. The built up shoe is as stiff as the brace was, but that's okay because now my hips are even and my back doesn't hurt as much as it used to.  My right leg is about 1/2 inch shorter than the left leg. 

And I've graduated to forearm crutches because, not only were the canes wearing out, but I also got tired of the canes falling over when I had to grab something.  And since I had to bend over to pick them up, I hoped that vertigo didn't strike me at the same time and I go splat! I love the forearm crutches (I call them my pogo sticks 'cause they have spring shocks in the legs) and I just purchased a bicycle flashlight for one of them. They stay on my arms like a bracelet when I let go to grab something. I've also gone to wearing a backpack. Had to try many on before I found one that fit me since I'm a BBW (big beautiful woman). I wore a cross-body purse for many years, but the left crutch kept bumping it as I took a step and knocking me off-balance. So had to get my thinking cap on and problem solve it. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

You might be interested in reading these posts too and be sure to check out the label "adapt" over on the side menu for more articles: 

• Never Alone
• (off-site) Brace
• Walker Bags
• New and Improved Walker Bag
• Why I'm Refashioning My Wardrobe
• (off-site) Disabled Placard Paper Receipt Fold

Poetry. By Dolores J. Rush

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Mrs. Harryman, my 6th grade teacher and one of my all-time favorite schoolteachers, read examples of all sorts of poetry to us. They were sometimes funny, like Edward Lear's limericks and assigned a 4 line verse composition for English class. I don't know what she saw in me, but she encouraged me to continue writing, so I grabbed a blank book and began to fill it with quotes, poetry I liked, and my scribbles.  Another favorite teacher, Mrs. Bundy, invited me to join a creative writing club where we compiled and published a school literary magazine. I enjoyed it so much in high school, that I also joined the campus literary club in college.   

I've decided to collect some of the poetry I've shared in different posts on this blog, plus a few new ones and place them together. And, if you wish to add any of these poems to your own collection, please  credit me with writing them. It's a great compliment when you do. Thank you!  

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All Poems By Dolores J. (O'Neal) Rush.

the earth
in 
suspenseful 
waiting - 
patiently -

BURSTING
from 
its
nesting place
the sun
pushes aside
the 
shadows

BLAZING
in ALL
its 
majestic glory

driving
the born
before 
itself - 

beginnings -

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Glorious morn
How beautiful thou art
Praising the Lord with all thy beauty
Singing to the heavens
Thy perfume is the sweetest upon this earth. . .

O Glorious morn
Thou art the one that awakens the sleeping world
Stirs the light
That brushes away the stale night. . .

Glorious morn
Thou have made me drunk with all thy glorious beauty
My God gave thee power,
Power to captivate thy audience!

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flowers
delicate, lovely
sight to behold
delights the senses with
heaven

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A Description Riddle 

toe-level S

grass waves

whip smooth

yellow, black

Y tongue taster

springssssings

mouse, watch out!

What am I?

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Note: Just so you know, the poem below does not come from experience. As a married woman, I lost a much wanted child through miscarriage before our son was born and I experienced an entirely different emotion from the one I had imagined as a teenager in this poem. My favorite hobby has always been reading and as a young person, I often imagined and experimented with scenarios I gathered along the way to compose in poetry form whether as free verse, such as the one below, or in rhyme. 

A Babe is Born

By Dolores J. O'Neal-Rush.

A babe is born

In a cabin of the wilderness.

A midwife is bustling about

The fire under the mantle is crackling

The babe is in the mother's arms.

Babe's pang of hunger cries,

Mother whispers hush!

Babe's against thy mother's breast,

Pain is lessened next.

Babe's ill,

Coughing and choking,

They do all they can.

He took his last breath,

His suffering is over.

Thy mother is weeping softly

The tears of joy,

She is glad for him

Babe is in a better place

Far above.

Babe was dressed in the finest calico they had,

They laid him under the willow tree by

a softly, spoken stream.

They erected a simple, wooden cross,

For they could not afford a stone.

There he sleeps.

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A Music Jam-O! 

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A Rubber Stamp Cinquain

rubber

stamped characters

impressions on paper

colored lines and shapes

artist inked, pressed, lifted, cleaned

red

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Note: I wrote the prayer poem below sometime ago and decided to add it to my son's photo scrapbook. I also designed the baby shoe template "card" to add to the page with 2 layers so that I can journal a personal note inside to my son. 

Bless My Little Baby Son

By Dolores J. Rush.

Dear Lord, I love my baby son

And thank you for his life,

I ask thee to bless my little one,

Bless his little life.

Bless his wee little head

And his curly locks

As you shine upon his bed

Over his room, toys and blocks.

Remind him as he grows

Of your great loving care,

Precious is he to you, I know,

From his sweet baby toes to his fuzzy hair.

This baby dear, so sweet and fine

I pray will grow strong and true

Into a gentleman, like Christ divine

Honorable through and through.

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Our Church Family Quilt

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A Post-It-Note Poem

How dry I am, How wet I'll be

If I don't find a note from thee.

I'll cry a lot and wail from here

Oh, Oh! I shed a tear!

I shed a tear, my heart is broke,

Make that two, my face is soaked.

My eyes are red and I am sad

Write a note and make me glad!

your friend, ___________________

(insert your name here)

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Bulletin Boards

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Indigestion

commercials

TV

stuff your face

funnelinginnonstop

Try it, you'll like it

scrumpdilious

it's the real thing

You deserve a break today

so get up and get away

to McDonald's

World's Famous Restaurant

the Uncola

the most original soft drink ever in the whole wide world

two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce

cheese, pickles, onion on a sesame seed bun,

I don't believe I ate the whole thing!

Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is!

What a Relief!

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A Mother's Prayer was published in our homeschool newsletter. 

By Mrs. Dolores J. Rush

Yea, I am the mother of an ADD child

Daily, I practice tough love

I shall not want to

Strangle that stubborn little neck,

But guide him towards paths of

Righteousness. To you, Lord.

Even though I walk through

The shadow of the Valley of

Weary Resignation

(Am I getting through to him??)

I will fear no hopeless situations

For you are with us;

Your presence and your arms comfort me.

And even though I walk through

The valley of the shadow of

Governmental “social reformers”

I will fear no evil

For you art with us.

You prepare a table of Joy

In the presence of my enemies

You anoint my head with wisdom.

My cup overflows.

Surely your goodness and love follow me

As I try to follow you all the days of my life.

(Oh, for your stamina to live through today. . .)

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Thank you, Lord, for your provision of grace. Amen!

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Family Picnic

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The Breeze

The breeze blew softly through the open window
It's deliciously cool fingers
Soothed my fevered face 
And stroked my arms and legs.
As the breeze blew over me,
In its breath, I could smell
The freshly mown odor of summer's grass,
The faintly sweet perfume of flowers,
The clean smell of new rain.
The breeze whispered in my ear
Of things it had seen that day,
Of a gorgeous jeweled dawn,
Of a happy mother seeing her baby's first steps,
And of a wooden cross bathed in a stream of light. 

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A Suburban Summer’s Evening

By Dolores J. Rush

Air conditioner’s humming

Bugs biting. . . slap!

Birds chirping

Breeze blowing

Crickets creaking

Dogs barking

Eyes waving goodbye.

Fireflies blinking

Gas lamps glowing

Heat dancing

Highway singing

Ice melting

June bugs buzzing

Kids crying

Lawnmowers grazing

Leaves blowing kisses goodnight.

Mosquitoes whining

Night graying

Opossums creeping

People laughing

Raccoons raiding

Streetlamps shining

Shadows playing

Sun blushing

Trains whistling sweet dreams . . .

Underarms stretching

Uvula’s peeping

Venetian blinds whooshing

Wet dirt scenting

Windchimes tinkling

X’s smooching

You fading

And Z’s sleeping!

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😴