MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!

May the blessings of the season be with you all during this holiday time of the year. Hoping that time spent with friends and family will bring joy to your hearts this season and all the year to come. Thank you to all of you that have visited my blog through the year, and I look forward to sharing time with you next year, too! Merry Christmas!!

THANK YOU, STAMPINGTON!!!

As I look back over my blog, I realize that I have never given thanks to the wonderful folks at Stampington and Company for selecting more of my work for the second issue of PRIMS magazine!! The wonderful magazine hit the newstands in October, and here in my area, was quickly sold out! If you have not had an opportunity to see this collectible publication, perhaps you can find it at your local bookstore, fabric shop, or artsy craftsy store!! This second issue of PRIMS is also available online from Stampington! Just click on this link to purchase!!

Again, my thanks to Jennifer Jackson and her wonderful staff at Stampington for their amazing work! I am honored to have been selected to share my work with others in this wonderful magazine, PRIMS!!

CONGRATULATIONS COACH KARL!!!!!!

The Denver Nuggets have a remarkable coach, and once again, Coach George Karl has met another milestone in his career!! Coach Karl has become the 7th NBA coach to achieve 1,000 game wins in his career!! Congratulations, Coach Karl!!! Congratulations on the win over the Toronto Raptors, Nuggets!!

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

December 7th of each year Americans commemorate the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. This is a day to remember those men and women of the armed services that lost their lives on that day.

HONORING OUR VETERANS TODAY AND ALWAYS!!!!!

Veterans' Day. A time to stop and thank those that have served our country for you and me. For our freedom. For our nation's safety. For us. Freedom does not come easy. It takes hard work and sacrifice.

I hope that today, and every day, we will all pause and reflect on what our country's men and women in service do and have done for all of us.

Thank you veterans!! Thank you to the active duty troops, both at home and abroad, for all you do for us. Thank you to the families of veterans and active duty troops as well! God Bless America!! God Bless our troops and their families!! God Bless the VETERANS!!!

Great Give-Away Opportunity!!!

If you have not yet found Pineapple Primitives, come take a look!! She is having a super duper give-away over on her blog!! Although I'm sure that I will win this wonderful kitty (heehehee!!), you might sign up for a chance, too!! :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Gosh....Fall is such a hectic, busy, scattered, and wonderful time of year!!! I must slow down, and take time to smell the pumpkins!! Shows, shopping, slow cooker suppers.....all signs of the changing of the seasons. I have been on many outings to take pics of the wonderful colors here in the mountains and the foothills, and hope to post some of those soon. One show down, two to go. Many new creations, many new patterns, too!! Hope everyone is enjoying this time of year, and I do hope all of you have a safe Halloween!!! This picture is from the wonderful yard of a nearby resident that always goes to the full extent for their everchanging Halloween displays!! Enjoy!!

Time Flies......and Deadlines Lurk!!

Oh my oooooh my........where do my days and nights go??!!! Summer has gone (well, according to the calendar and the weather reporter), Fall has arrived in some areas, football is well underway, and the NBA is holding training camp with their season just around the corner. Fall means the rush to build inventory for the one show I do each year. September is a wild month in our household since there are a zillion birthdays.....mine, Mike's, daughter's, daughter-in-law's, and granddaughter Sadie's. Whew!!

I have managed to publish a few more patterns, which can be found on Patternmart as instant downloads, and the other pattern sites you see in the left sidebar.

I am proud to announce that I have more work published in the second issue of PRIMS magazine, which you may be able to find on your local newstands any day now!! Be on the lookout for it!! This is a GRAND publication from Stampington and Company. You can follow the link above to order by mail, too!!

Hope this finds everyone well, enjoy the season, and the busiest time of year for many of us!! Prim Blessings, Trudy

WHAT FUN!!!

I have days like this sometimes, too.............!!! HAHAHAHAA!!! Too funny!! What a silly girl Madison is....today and always!!! Pic shared by her mom.

NEW PATTERNS PUBLISHED TODAY!!!

I would be the first to admit that I am not a good administrative assistant type person.....and much prefer the hands on creating as opposed to the "office" work or writing up pattern instructions and getting them listed!! I am forever complaining to my friends about how I do not like the computer work!! I'd rather have my hands in the grunge mix and paint, than on the computer keyboard.

But.....I forced myself to finish writing up two patterns today, and have them listed on Etsy and Patternmart, with the other pattern sites to get them soon!! Like I said....computer work and I are NOT best of friends!! hehheeeee!!! Two down.....many new ones to go!! I hope you will stop by and take a peek at the new designs for Itty Bitty Bat Ornie and the Primitive Witch Ornie!!! Prim Blessings, Trudy

Colorado Fences

I have always had a great fondness for fences!! I see them as works of art, although I am certain they were built as functional systems for keeping something in or something out!! I love fences of all kinds, and especially love the old wooden country fences and rock fences. Today I am sharing some pictures of fences taken during a summer outing or two! Enjoy!!

OOOOPS!!!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO AUGUST?????

Gosh.....where did August go??? Where is this year going???? Part of the problem with my absence has been my being way more busy than need be, having way tooooo much fun, and running around the countryside too much!!

We spent a few days in Sante Fe, a long weekend in Crested Butte, CO enjoying a bluegrass festival, a long weekend attending the Rocky Grass Festival in Lyons, CO (an annual event for us), and then I spent nearly a couple weeks down in Austin, TX....and now it's September 3rd....my birthday!! Whew!! I have my one show that I do each year coming up in early October, for which I am working hard to prepare for, also. WAY BUSY!!!

I have scads of pictures of various summer outings, lots of wildflowers, great rivers, fences, old buildings and such, and perhaps I will make some time to post those. In the meantime.....here are some pics of the Austin grandchildren. Madison is already 4 1/2, as she proudly tells everyone. Mackenzie is into the terrible two behavior, as she approaches her 2nd birthday in early November. And Liam is already 4 months old!!! Seems like he was born last week!!

SHARING A HALLOWEEN GIVEAWAY!!!

Stop by Calico Rabbit for this wonderful giveaway opportunity!!! Deadline to sign up is August 7th, with the lucky winner to be announced on August 8th!!

AND I WON AGAIN!!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT????

WHOA!!!! MY LUCKY MONTH!!! I also won a wonderful print from another great artist!! Elizabeth Gonzalez is very talented, and I am fortunate to now be the lucky owner of TWO of her great prints!! Stop by her blog and say hello!! You can find wonderful prints and ceramic items in her Etsy shoppe, too!! Thanks so much, Elizabeth!!

I WON!!!!!

I am so honored to be the winner of this beautiful journal from two creative sisters, Rebecca and Kathleen!! Stop by their blog, Pigtails Paper Trails, become a follower, and be the first to know about their new creations!! They have a great Etsy shoppe, too!! STOP ON BY!!!! You can follow these great Texas gals on Facebook, too!! I hope you will pay them a visit, and tell them that Trudy sent you!! :)

BACKYARD FRIENDS!!!

With all that I need to be doing....deadlines, orders to fill, etc......here I have been this morning, enjoying the animal friends in our backyard!! I can spend so much time watching and enjoying them!!! What would I do if we lived in the woods???!!!!

The foxes were not in the yard this morning, but I don't believe I have shared these shots with you yet! I haven't seen the coyote in awhile, and I had also stopped feeding the birds, at the suggestion of the local HOA. However, a few days ago, when the little golden guys were searching for their seeds, I had to feed them!! :)

Enjoy the shots!!

My Photo Class Theme for the 3rd....a Day Late Here!!

Our theme for yesterday's assignment was "Getting Centered"......instead of the usual artistic play, we were to strive for centering our subject....perhaps with symetry on the sides, etc. Although I did not find quite what I was looking for, I did find some things to "center" my view finder on! Enjoy the shots!!

GOD BLESS AMERICA ON HER BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Democracy and America were born on July 4, 1776. Every year we Americans celebrate the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave in a variety of ways, often including parades and backyard gatherings, hotdogs and watermelon.

I suggest that we all take a moment to reflect on what it means to be an American, what we each can do to continue the work of our nation, and what our responsibilities are as Americans.

Today might be a great day to read all or part of The Declaration of Independence, and put some thought into what it means to be an independent nation, during the days of the signing of the Declaration and now today, in 2010.

I suggest that we take a moment to thank those that have given themselves to serve in our Armed Forces, and to their families, many of which have sacrificed the ultimate.

Stay safe, have fun, and God Bless America!!!

SPLASH!!!!!

I love a good summer rain.....the kind that you can see building up, with the skies growing darker.......then the thunder...............then the lightning..............then the downpour.

We had one of those events today!! NICE!!! The rain brought the temp down to a chilly 75, everything got a nice little drink of coolness, and then the clouds moved on, the sun returned, and the temperature rose to another 90+ day!!

I love the rain. This kind of rain. The rain the comes....and goes.....quickly!! Enjoy the shots!!

JULY.....A SPECIAL MONTH!!!

JULY!!! Already!!! Yes, we are already half way through 2010. Hard to believe!! I like to think about the year in terms of how well I have done to reach my goals, the adventures I have experienced, the challenges I have taken on, the accomplishments I have made. I need to get busy!!!!! heheheheee!!!

This is the month that we celebrate the birth of our Nation.....the United States of America. This is the month my late father, Howard Spencer Graves, was born in Leon, WI, in 1922.

In 1969, man first set foot on the moon, during the month of July. That man was Neil Armstrong, an American.

One of my favorite childhood activities was to transfer the comics from the Sunday paper to another paper using my SILLY PUTTY!!! Silly Putty was trademark registered in July, 1952.

The people and events of the month of July are many, obviously. I will leave the further investigation of these to you!!

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On the creative front, July 2010 brings an end to the amazing e-course I have been participating in with noted artist Kelly Rae Roberts. As that great experience winds down, I have joined an inspirational photography event with Shutter Sister, Tracey Clark!! You might want to jump in for a fun photo experience, too!! Just visit Picture Summer, and sign up!!

July brings updates for Crows in the Attic Primitives on Simply Primitives and The Primitive Gathering, as well as updates on Lemon Poppy Seeds, too!! Both of my Poppy Shoppes have been updated with some great Christmas in July choices, too!! Be sure to visit Annabelle's Attic as well as Crows in the Attic Primtives on LPS!!

Most of all, I hope that you will welcome July, the heat of Summer, the fun in the sun, and all that Summer brings to you! Prim Blessings to all, Trudy

THE YOUNGEST GRANDSON TURNS 2 MONTHS OLD!!!!!!

Little Liam has now turned a whole 2 months old!!! YEA!!!! He is eating well, and growing by leaps and bounds!! He loves to be held.....nearly all the time some days, according to his mommy!!! Typical guy, huh???!!!

The picture was taken yesterday, when he turned two months old, and had his pediatrician visit. He now is 11 pounds 6 ounces, and 23.5 inches long!!! Such a growing boy!!! He has a ways to go, though, to catch up with his two big sisters!!! Thank you, Amy, for sending the picture of this little guy!!

ANOTHER PAINTING IN THE SKY!!!

Sunsets are among my favorite things. I only wish we had a better view of the sun rising, too!! :) The sunsets over the mountains are always amazing....and last for a long, long time, and are forever changing. I spend sooooo much time enjoying them, watching them, wondering what will happen next!!

This show was spectacular, as most often happens after a storm passes through. Enjoy the pics!!