ImagiMeri's

Happy Valentines Day

2012-02-14T05:51:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Friends and loved ones,

Happy Valentines Day!

Things have been a bit off here lately, and I'm wondering if this is my new normal. My husband is still without employment, and if something isn't found in the next week or so, drastic measures will ensue. I don't mean to bum anyone out, especially on such a lovely day, but I have to realistically act as if my Blog, and my business will have to go into hibernation for a while. As long as I'm able, I will continue to blog, however, do not be surprised should I have to shut down for a spell.

I've truly enjoyed meeting so many of you lovely people, in cyberspace, and my greatest regret is that I was not able to meet more of you in person. I have been blessed with meeting quite a few of you, and it's been pure joy.

I'm so happy that I've been able to provide you with some graphic fun for free, and thanks go out to all those sites I've been able to collect from all these years, as well as owning quite a few objects with stunning graphics and illustrations. Be assured that should my fortunes change, I will once again be posting freebies, pieces I create, tutorials and giveaways.

God Bless you all, and I hope to write and share once more,

Meri

More Freebies while I deal with Mom

2012-02-02T07:01:00.000-07:00

Howdy Ya'll,

I'm in way over my head folks! Picture trying to move an extremely emotional, very fragile 80 year old and the multitudes of her belongings...........it's highly stressful to say the least. So, while I'm away pulling my hair out and wearing myself down, I'm posting some more Valentines to see you through your cravings.

I hope to be back to regular blogging by next month, not to mention visiting all you wonderful people. Keep an eye out for new goodies in my Etsy shop, too........coming soon!

Here ya go:

That's it for now. My life currently is taken up with other's and until that situation is resolved, I'm not able to create too much.

God Bless and take care,

Meri

Valentine Freebies!

2012-01-26T21:33:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks,

Well, we're starting the process of moving mom into her new apartment this weekend. She's both excited and scared, as it's a new adventure for her. The job of sifting through her possessions is going to be extremely tedious as she's a collector. First we have to move over the essentials for her to start living in her new place, and then we'll deal with what is left behind at a later date.

My husband has been doing phone interviews, as well as in person, and he's even had a couple of offers........which include a move out of state........not gonna' happen! We're not a young couple that can just move at the drop of a hat. Things have to be done with careful planning which addresses our not too distant retirement, our health, and our youngest which is still in high school. However, at this time his prospects are looking fairly decent, so we'll keep our fingers crossed and pray for something that will be a good fit for us.

As I mentioned last week, here are some more Valentines, both originals and cleaned up versions. In addition there are a few at the end of this post that I have created for you:

And here's a few I made for you:

If you decide to use any of the buttons I created, I would appreciate a mention as to where you got them. There's more to come!

Big Hugs,

Meri

Changes in Life........once again!

2012-01-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

Howdy folks,

Well just when you get all excited about a new year, and new possibilities, things change! My husband came home yesterday, early, after being fired from his job of 7 years. No explanation, no severance, nothing.....not even a goodbye or thanks for building this company into the number one, fastest, data transfer company in the world......just nothing.

We're in our 50's, and contrary to all the current thinking that 50 is the new 30 (bullpoopy), it's not getting any easier. Somehow there are people out there that have these massive, disposable incomes and like to buy and sell companies for fun. They don't know business, they don't know how to manage, they don't know much of anything except that they've got money to burn and we don't.

Well, enough of that......

During the holidays I had a few orders, and I thought I'd share a couple of them with you. This local gal wanted a unique gift for her husband and her daughter, and what's better than a permanent sculptural reminder of a beloved pet? The first sculpt is of a dog that is no longer around, however, he was the "soul-dog" of this lady's husband. I worked from a photograph they had of "Scout" when he was running around a lake they used to visit, and someone had put some "goggles" on him. It was a very humorous picture and she thought her husband would love a reminder of his past pet. Here's Scout:

Scout stands about 6" tall, and he's a Chesapeake Bay retriever.
Do you see the goggles on him?

This next one is of a dog they currently own, and his name is "Rocky." Rocky was decorated one day in a little costume that had a headband with kitten ears on it, and a hot pink feather boa wrapped around his neck. The daughter considers this her dog and loved the picture, so why not have a permanent version also. Here's Rocky:

Rocky is also about 6" tall and he's some sort of mix
breed, so they're not quite sure about his lineage.

The two together......pretty cute, eh?

I found out the week after Christmas that their new owners just loved them. They were last seen being hauled around to various friends and family for inspection.

I'm currently working on a dachshund for the lovely Lynn over at "life on the wienee ranch." I hope to have it done soon, but I'm currently in the middle of a move for my mother.

Yes, folks, we received some wonderful news about my mom. She recently had another PET scan and a bunch of blood work done. We met with her oncologist last week, and.................wonder of all wonders........her tumors have either stopped growing, and in some cases even shrunk a bit, and now unless new growth takes place, or there's new activity, she does not need to have anymore chemo at this time! Needless to say, she is extremely grateful and has been chatting with God quite often. We have found a place for her and it's really quite nice. She will be renting a 700 s.f., one bedroom apartment in an adult community which is specifically for those wanting to live an independent life, yet have all the bells and whistles in the needs of the elderly. She's very excited about it, and I'm very happy and excited for her. We have begun the process of cleaning out her home and we're dealing with all the decisions of what to take, what to store and what to sell........which is exhausting considering all the ~~crap~~ goodies she's got!

Here's a couple of vintage Valentines to whet your appetite for more. I'm including the original and a cleaned up version in a png format for those of you wishing to create digital crafts.

Please enjoy these, and keep an eye out for some that I will have created in the next week or so. I am still working on creating new backgrounds for my blog, and I currently have two Valentine versions ready, I just need to pick one and load it. Here are the two to choose from, maybe you all can help me decide. Let me know which one you think I should load.

Here's Background #1 and Header #1

Here's Background #2 and Header #2

I know, I know, they're quite a different look for me, but I'm having a blast creating and I really wanna' try having a background and header for each holiday. There will always be an aspect of silly and fun in my work, but I wanna' try different looks with that in mind as an overall theme. Am I making any sense????

Anyway, that's it for now. More goodies to come.........enjoy each day!

Big Hugs,

Meri

My latest Giveaway has a new home!

2012-01-15T22:02:00.001-07:00

Howdy Folks,

Since my latest creation made it to her new home, I can now share with you how she turned out. Sue, from "Sue Loves Cherries" won my fall giveaway and she was asked to choose from a selection of graphics in which I would create a 3-D version for her. She chose the adorable little girl (above) and asked if I could make her just a little more personal by changing her dress color to red and adding cherries on the front.

Well, here she is:

She stands about 17" tall!

Check out the cute, little
cherry buttons!

Yes, those are cherries
she's holding behind
her back.....who knew!

She's extremely happy to be in her new home.

So, whaddaya think????? I think she's pretty ~~damn~~ darn cute, and I love her red dress with the cherries that Sue requested. You might wanna' bop on over to Sue's blog to see what she thinks (teaser: she kinda' really likes her!).

As I mentioned earlier, I will be cutting back my giveaways to only twice a year in anticipation of some possible new adventures happening this year. I will be having a spring and fall giveaway this year, and the official posting to sign up on will be on March 20th, the actual first day of spring, so keep an eye out for that post in particular.

Very soon I will be posting some very cute vintage Valentines, and even a few new Valentine buttons that I will create just for all of you lovely people out there. I love my followers, and try to thank you as often as possible with my freebies and sculpture giveaways. So many times I wish I were wealthy enough to just make sculptures for all of you, but it's a business and I'm trudging along with my dreams, slow to grow income and passions for creating, just like all of you. I try very hard to support other blog artists by signing up to follow, leaving comments, conversing through email, purchasing those items that make my heart giggle and that I can afford, and being available for questions and helping out with things that I can.

So often I wish I could just meet you all personally.........oh gosh what a fun get together that would be, and I keep hoping and praying the best for all of you and that maybe, just maybe someday, it will happen.

Here's hoping, and God Bless,

Meri

Happy New Year

2012-01-08T07:13:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Well it's a new year, and although I've been extremely busy with family situations, I've got all kinds of "hoops" to jump through and I think it's gonna' be a better year than last year. At least I hope and pray it is.

This year is going to bring all kinds of new and different experiences, ideas, and goodies for ya'll. First of all, I'll be redecorating my blog for the new year, and I'll be working with the exceptionally talented Karen Valentine, of "My Desert Cottage" for this. I'll be taking some lunch over to her house and crackin' the whip......just kidding........we'll be working together on it. I've got so many ideas running around in my head, I'm probably going to wear her out.

Secondly, since last year was an exceptionally hard year for me and my mom, I will be cutting back my quarterly giveaways to twice a year. With the orders I received, and the giveaways, taking care of my mom and my family, it was not my most productive year, I was exhausted and I've got some apologies to hand out. The lovely Sue over at "It's a very cherry world" was my fall giveaway winner, and I promised her sculpture would be delivered by Christmas.......guess what? I screwed up big time! With the extremely hard year, and trying to decorate for the holidays, her package was buried under all the boxes and wrappings I use to store my Christmas decorations. I thought I had done good and got it mailed, but NOOOOOOOOOOOOO.....I just found it and now I really need to send it out! I was wondering why I hadn't heard anything from her....how dense am I???? Big apology to you Sue, and your package will really be on the way this week. I will post pictures when I know she has it, as I don't want to spoil the surprise...........even though we all know that this is the image she chose:

However, she requested that I change the dress to a red one with white cherries on the front, well, you'll all just have to wait and see it either on her blog or mine when she receives it.

I also promised Lynn over at "life on the wienee ranch" a sculpture of, what else, a wienee dog (dachshund), and I have yet to finish it. It is almost done, and should be on it's way to her shortly.

Thirdly, this year is the year I hope to attend at least one big show, so I will be focusing on a new line of sculpts for the next Christmas/Winter Holiday season. I will not be able to show you much through the year as I don't wish to have any of my creations copied. They are totally different from what I've been doing and anything else out there, yet still vintage inspired, and I'm so freakin' excited!

I will also be doing some traveling and there's still my mothers health to contend with. Here's an update on my mom:

She's doing much better and we hope to have her in an independent living facility very soon. She can no longer live alone in her house about a half hour away, as it's in a very remote area and most of her doctors are right here in Gilbert or Mesa (Arizona), so it doesn't make sense to live that far away. This facility is only a couple of miles down the same road my neighborhood is on, plus she'll have access to so many more amenities and services that she wouldn't have had otherwise. She'll be in with tons of other folks her age and be able to participate in all kinds of activities........she's getting excited, too. We should find out on or after the 16th with her visit to her oncologist, as to where we are in place for her chemo treatments. (Note to those suffering from chronic diarrhea- check into the diagnosis of microscopic colitis and the use of "Entecort" a.k.a. Budesonide. It's very expensive, but stopped my mom's diarrhea quite quickly.)

As far as my traveling, well, I hope to go with my husband to Las Vegas in May (I've never been there.....really!) I also plan to visit the ever wonderful Elizabeth (or E as we call her) of Creative Breathing in June, just for fun! Then next fall I am planning on attending a holiday craft show in California, so all my sales this year will be going towards helping me achieve this goal. In the next couple of weeks I will be posting new sculpts to my Etsy shop, and I'll alert you to this.

So as you can see, there is much to be accomplished......and so little time! Watch out for all the Valentine goodies coming your way next month, and my spring giveaway in March.

Have a beautiful day, (it's in the 70's here) and may 2012 be the best year ever for all of you!

Meri

The last of the graphic goodies for 2011!

2011-12-12T08:40:00.000-07:00

Hello All my lovely followers and friends,

This is going to be the last post for 2011 with a bunch of graphics in it. I still have one or two posts to do, but the free graphics will stop until next year. I got one of my orders out yesterday, and I still have a couple to go and I will post about them next week. I'm posting a few vintage graphics and a few little buttons I've made for your pleasure. You may use them, with the exception of selling them, and if you do use them, please give me a little credit.

Without further ado.......here's the goodies:

I hope you enjoy these, and I'll be back next week with piccy's of all the work I've been doing lately.

Hugs-N-Love,

Meri

Long overdue Thank You's

2011-12-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

Howdy!

It's about time I posted about some wonderful gifts and prizes I've gotten recently. I'm so blessed to have such wonderful friends here in blogland, and it's been killing me that I haven't had the time to give some of them their due......so here we go:

A long time ago, in a land far, far away........LOL......I received a beautiful set of fabric containers from the very lovely Renee at "My Vintage Mending." She had sent me an email asking me specific questions about certain things I like (I had no idea at the time what she intended). She asked me things like "do you prefer polka dots or stripes? (polka dots always) Do you prefer ruffles or ribbons (ruffles please), etc. She explained that she was getting ideas for some projects (she's pretty sneaky in the best of ways). After completing the project, she posted about it and I was thrilled that I was part of the process. I commented how blessed I felt that she asked me for ideas and then she told me that I better make room for them as they were coming to me!!!! WOWEE can you imagine how I felt? What a sweetie........here they are, if you haven't already seen them on her blog a while back:

Are these just the most darling gifts ever?

She sent me so many goodies, too....do you see the adorable
clown squeaky toy??? I'm in love! She knows I collect and
love circus goodies.

Look, even a circus book.....she's amazing!

I have yet to figure out a use for them, as my craft area is in horrible shape at the moment........could anyone please come out and help me clean it up???? LOL

Renee, thank you from the bottom of my heart, you have no idea how special these are to me as they are handmade by you......thank you sweet lady.

You all know I'm good friends with Sandy of "521 Lakestreet," well she recently stopped by for a quick visit and brought me some of the cutest little 72 rpm children's records I've ever seen. I've been collecting some for a while now, but these are nothing short of amazing, thank you friend:

These are made of cardboard with a plastic, engraved, cover
and actually will play.....if I only had a child's record player
from the 50's!!!! This is the front.

The back....so stinkin' cute!

Check out this "ringmaster" bunny....hilarious! The front.

And here's the rear! Sooooo cute!

I think you'll agree, my friends know me and my love for circus collectibles very well........again, I'm very blessed.

Recently I was the enviable winner of a wonderful giveaway over at my friend Joanne's blog "Desert Mountain Bear." She's a wonderful lady, and I'm proud to have her as a friend, and to have spent some time with her this past year. Joanne is an amazing artist who specializes in creating darling, extremely accurate, and very detailed stuffed bears. I've been fortunate enough to witness her talent first hand, and I can tell you folks that her work is exquisite and second to none. She hosted a give away of some first class mohair (4 different types) and enough "Kool-aid" for dying, to last me a long time. I'm not familiar with this medium of crafting at all, but I'm excited as all get-out that she is willing to teach me her methods.

Here are the beautiful sample pieces I won, including the Kool-aid:

There's so much of this stuff that I can make quite a few bears
or other animals from it.

Check out all these color choices!!!! She also
sent me this humorous card with bat's on it.

Look at the different textures!

Four different types of "string" mohair........I've never seen
this stuff before........I'm gonna have a lot of fun.

Joanne, thank you so much for this giveaway, and the opportunity to try something new. I will definitely be hookin' up with you after the new year for some guidance!

To finish up, here's a couple of piccy's of my ever-growing collection of squeaky toys:

Are these adorable or what? I've gotten about 5 more since
this picture, but I'll post them some other time.

A close-up of my favorite one so far!

I hope you enjoyed this quick tribute to my beloved blogland friends. Please take a moment to visit their blogs if you haven't already.....they are lot's of fun!

Stay tuned for more graphics coming your way!

Hugs,

Meri

Various Christmas Scenes

2011-11-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

I'm still pretty busy with my mom. We're looking for an assisted living facility for her as she is no longer able to live alone. Her broken shoulder is mending well and she's been doing therapy for it, and today we will find out if she gets the cast taken off of her left hand. She's looking forward to having some ability with her hands again, and she's very anxious to quit having me do everything for her. I'm so blessed that I've been given this opportunity to help her, though I could never repay all that she's done for me while growing up. I've also been working, in bits of time, on five sculptures that are due by Christmas and I've sold a few shadowboxes, too. I'm really looking forward to redoing my blog and getting back to a somewhat normal schedule again. I've been able to hop around and visit sporadically with all of you, but not nearly as much as I'd like. Here's some more holiday goodies for you all, and once I'm back there will be some special posts coming, so stay tuned.

So, I'll be back in the next day or so with some long over-due thank yous and I hope to be back to regular blogging by the new year. Thank you all for your support along this long, painful journey I've been on with my mom. Here's to a better year coming up!

Big Hugs,

Meri

It's snowing Snowmen and Women!

2011-11-22T18:44:00.000-07:00

Howdy,

I know it looks like I'm back, but I'm not really.....

It's very easy for me to post all these free goodies for all of you, easier than actually taking the time to write a post. So sit back, copy and enjoy till I really come back.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, I shall be thinking of all of you and hoping for the best for everyone!

Good eating!

Hugs,

Meri

Santa's gone wild!!!!!

2011-11-18T06:47:00.002-07:00

Happy Crafting y'all!

Hugs,

Meri

Freebies for You While I'm taking a break!

2011-11-14T07:03:00.000-07:00

Howdy,

I'm still not able to fully blog yet, as I'm still caring for my mom 24/7. We are hoping to have a resolution to all of this by this coming week. I've really been blessed with this opportunity to care for my mom, as she cared for me so many times while growing up, many surgeries she comforted me through, and many rehabilitation's to relearn how to walk again. I am proud, and so grateful to be able to do the little bit I've done so far. The realization that I can't care for her adequately 24/7 is very hard, so an alternative is being sought. When I return to blogging, I'll share some of this journey.

I miss you all, and really miss not being able to get around to visit you all. This too shall pass. Here's some graphics for ya'll.............I hope you enjoy them.

Have fun crafting!

Hugs,

Meri

My Adored Followers, please excuse me -UPDATE

2011-11-03T04:05:00.001-07:00

Hello my friends,

You've helped me so much through this very tough year so far, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to take a break for a while. Just this morning my mother fell out of bed and injured her other hand (her somewhat good hand) and she is now totally dependent on me. Why didn't I get rail put on the side of the bed, I don't know. It was on her injured side with the broken shoulder........I never in a million years thought she'd roll over that way.

I have to stop blogging for a while to figure out what to do. I'm at such a loss right now. Thank you all so much for your prayers and thoughts in the past. If you don't mind a little more, could you please put some punch into those prayers for my mom and I. I don't know how long this will take, but if and when I come back, I hope you're all still there.

UPDATE:

It's official, she has broken her left hand. Right on the knuckle of her index finger (where it joins the hand), and with her whole hand swollen like a purple and black balloon, she is now sporting a sassy new purple cast. She now has both wings clipped, and after some research and some thorough investigating, we are finding a nursing home for her. In the meantime, we will be hiring a special nurse aid to come out for a few hours each day and let me get a nap or run errands. We have also purchased a rail for the side of the adjustable bed just in case another mishap plan is brewing. Your kind words and prayers are much appreciated, needed and soothing for me, as I care for all of you so much. I know we will get through this, and with all your heartfelt words, I will endeavor to trudge on through the muck!

Also, please send out prayers and kind thoughts to my dear friend "Marydon" of "blushing rose too." She will be under the knife a couple of times in the near future for eye surgery. She's a very dear, sweet, and most lovely lady, that I've had the extreme pleasure to meet and spend time with.

God Bless y'all and I'll be back,

Meri

Lot's of love,

Meri

HAPPY HALLOWEEN.....Enjoy the treats!

2011-10-31T05:04:00.001-07:00

Howdy y'all,

Well I'm all cleaned out, and ready for my special Halloween colonoscopy today! That's right, I'm gettin' one this very morning, and you should all think about settin' one up for yourself..........especially if you haven't had one before. This is my very first one, and to tell you the truth, the process so far hasn't been that bad. The stuff they have you drink now, other than being super sour like drinking melted sour gummy worms (hey it's Halloween), isn't as bad as I thought.

The cleaning out process wasn't so bad, either..........that's probably because I hardly ate anything for two days!

As for the rest of the process..........well, I'll reserve judgement till it's over. I'm opting not to be put under, just some "happy" meds, so I'll report back (whether you want me to or not) how it all goes.

So, while I'm off getting (ahem, ahem), please enjoy these treats for you.

Please have a safe, happy, frightfully awesome Halloween!

Hugs,

Meri

I interrupt my 2 part post for a swap

2011-10-27T21:09:00.000-07:00

Hello Folks,

Here's a quick little post about a recent swap I had between myself and my good blog friend Lynn Stevenson of "Trash to Treasure Art." We thought we'd just swap amongst ourselves and we decided on doing two ATC's. One was to be vintage Halloween, and the other was vintage circus. Myself, being the over doer in just about everything, also decided to make her and extra ATC and I chose to make it vintage Christmas.

Here are my contributions:

This is my Halloween version. I aged and crackled some
old vintage print on top of some cute scrapbook paper.
I then Mod Podged over a piece of vintage lace, and then
added the vintage (color enhanced) image. I then Mod
Podged cheesecloth (that I colored with Tim Holtz ink)
over everything and then used Tim Holtz distress crackle
paint on the edges, added a seam binding ribbon with a
brass cat charm, and topped it all off with a distressed
Prima rose and leaf. I then added a tiny dragonfly brass
charm on the leaf.

This is my vintage Circus "chunky." I cut a one
inch thick piece of wood down to the size of an
ATC (2.5 x 3.5) and stained it blue with Tim Holtz
"broken china" ink. Using the Graphic 45 "Le
Cirque" line of paper, I chose a piece for the
background. I stamped a clown (Artistic Outpost)
on cream card stock, and hand colored with pencils.
I made a ruffled collar from ribbon, and placed a
sparkly little pom pon on his hat. I placed a half
"rosette" on the side and a "stickle" decorated
pony on top with a jaunty feather. Four Tim
Holtz black bingo numbers form the "wheels."

Someone is peeking through the keyhole!

Look, it's Santa! This is my bonus gift to Lynn. I made her a
cute little book opening ATC for Christmas, as she's such
an awesome lady, and a good friend.

Here are my ATC's from Lynn.......they're awesome! Lynn is one of my favorite artists....I have so many....and her work is spectacular. Please stop by her blog to see this amazing artists work.

I love the color of this one.....so dark and spooky!

Here's her vintage circus one and of course it's my
favorite one! Her double rosettes are perfect,
and the balloons are so cool.

Thank you so much Lynn for swapping with me. I love to do this occasionally, just to keep myself in the ATC/scrapbooking loop. If you're ever interested in swapping, let me know and I'll see if I can finagle some time to do it. It never hurts to ask.....right? I love collecting these miniature pieces of art from my friends, they mean a lot to me.

Here's some quickie Halloween images for you all:

The second part of my museum visit with the miniature rooms is coming up next. You all have a wonderful, safe and fun, Halloween.

Big Hugs,
Meri

The Phoenix Art Museum - Part One

2011-10-24T06:25:00.000-07:00

Double click on any of the images in this post for a larger view.

Disclaimer: I apologize for the lack of information on each and every piece

of art that I am showing in this multi-part posting. I've tried to include

as much as possible, but it was a very quick visit, prior to my mother's

recent accident and I've forgotten almost everything I learned, or tried to

remember since my mother's accident. I, also, was not allowed to take pictures

of certain exhibits, and at others I had a lot of glare in my

images due to the glass enclosures they were in.

To say the least, it's been a very trying time lately, and even if there isn't proper credit.

given for each image, I hope you just enjoy the slight escape to Arizona!

Howdy Ya'll,

Welcome to a short, but spectacular, visit to the Phoenix Art Museum a.k.a PAM! Before you even get to the front entrance you are greeted by.....

A huge red, T-Rex, dinosaur with a huge "Made in China" embossing on his tummy. Although he is quite large (approximately 10-12 ft. tall), its hard to be scared when he's in an equally large and imposing cage!

These are some lovely Palo Verde tree branches, of which there were many in the entrance courtyard. I love texture, so you understand why I had to take these pictures.

In the lobby you are greeted by yet another large display, this one being a massive chandelier. It's quite spectacular and very pretty.

Yes, it's hanging low to the ground

This is a close-up.

This piece is just striking. I was immediately captivated by
the look in her eyes..........

Now this following artist caught my eye for two reasons..........OMGosh, what stunning use of color!

and, GET THIS....the artists last name is "Wiley." We must be related...............(not)...double click on this next image for information about the artist and the next painting.

This information plaque tells a little about the artist, and then
about his set-up on this next painting.

You HAVE to double click on this......it's just stunning!

This is a close-up of the hand......OMGosh the detail is
amazing, and the color....WOW!

This guy was huge, very colorful and anatomically correct.
He's made, totally, out of ceramic.

This next exhibit is the "Giorgio di Sant' Angelo" collection of fashion on loan from the Ellman Fashion Design Gallery. It was very interesting as you could tell that this designer had re purposed many vintage pieces into a whole new design. As an example, there was a long skirt that seemed to be made from a vintage 1970's era bedspread.

The "dresses" seen here seemed to be
made of old cut-up and discarded
nylon leggings/stockings.

This was a scarf number.....as if you
couldn't tell.

Okay, this ends day one of your trip to the Phoenix Art Museum, but it's not over. I hope you enjoyed the trip, and in the next day or so, I shall be showing quite a few miniature rooms from the Thorne Collection......so come on back.

Big Hugs,

Meri

Something Very Special

2011-10-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

Hey Folks,

I'm dropping by to share some very special artwork with you. As most of you know, I've been caring for my mom since June 2011. She's been living with me since then and dealing with many life-threatening infections, as well as over 5 visits to the hospital. Recently, she had been getting much better, gaining some weight back and we thought she was on the road to recovery, or at least getting closer to resuming her chemo treatments, and then last week she fell and broke her shoulder. This has been a major setback, as she's totally dependent on me again. Now most of you have written many comments on what a good daughter I am, well maybe so, but I know in my heart that everyone of you would do the same, and as a matter of fact some of you are, so although I thank you for your praise............I'm not so different than any of you.

I have been blessed these many months with spending very special, loving time, with my mother. We've reminisced, sung old songs, played games and just chatted. It's been alternately a challenge, frustrating, painful, poignant, and sad, and yet it's one of the greatest privileges I'll ever have.

Although I have so many posts waiting to be written about recent gifts, goodies I've gotten, goodies I've bought, and so forth, today I'd like to share artwork from my mother that is especially meaningful to me. My mother is an accomplished artist in her own right in drawing, and watercolor painting. Her past works have been awarded many ribbons in various judged art shows, as well as becoming private collection pieces throughout the country. This collection I show you today starts back in the 1940's and continues through the first few years of her marriage in 1950. She was just graduated from High School when she married, so as you'll notice these were drawn by a very young lady, in her teens, and lot's of fanciful vision.

As a child, growing up, the following sketches were hidden away in the very back of her closet, where I would sneak in, dig through, and unveil for my very own viewing pleasure. There are many more sketches in this collection, which I now own, but these hold a particular fascination for me. How many mothers out there sketched and colored beautiful princess gowns and bold, striking fashion designs? Just knowing I have these pieces of my mothers creativity and passion, and will pass them down to my oldest daughter who loves them almost equally, just gives me the sweetest feeling.

Behold the timeless fashion styling of Dorie Johnson:

Attention, these are original, copyrighted works of art and belong to ImagiMeri's Creations. Do not copy, do not use for any reason whatsoever. Thank you.

Now this one must have stuck in my memory
because I designed one of my sculpture creations
with this almost identical outfit, as seen here:

As you can see, my mother was a great artistic influence in my life. These are her scanned, original works of art, that I now will have forever, thanks to today's miracle of technology.

I hope you enjoyed this little exhibit, and I will be posting about my trip to the "Phoenix Museum" next week. My mother is doing better, but is still in a very critical stage. Her arm is supported in a sling at this time, as the shoulder break is in a good position. However, should she "bump" or somehow move her shoulder in the next two weeks, she could get the bone misplaced and end up needing surgery. Thank you all for your prayers and good wishes, they really mean a lot to me.

Have a great weekend, and I'll have more next week.

Big Hugs,

Meri

I Beg Your Pardon.........

2011-10-11T20:15:00.001-07:00

I need to take a short break folks. My mom fell today and broke her shoulder, and there's a lot of stuff to take care of in the next week or so. She's in an extreme amount of pain, and I'm not feeling all that well with the weather change. I, myself, have many medical tests coming up and now this........it's a lot to deal with. I know you'll all understand, but I'll have to postpone my free Halloween graphics and the trip to the museum for a bit.

Thank you all so very much for all your support in the past, and yes, I'd appreciate any good thoughts and prayers you can send my way.

I will be back!

Love ya'
Meri

It's another "Dotty Tuesday"

2011-10-11T07:46:00.000-07:00

Howdy Folks,

It's another "Dotty Tuesday" over at "Holly's" so hop on over for all kinds of dotty goodness. I've got a few for you today, and tomorrow I'm going to be posting some Halloween for a follower that has requested it. Elaine is the follower, however, she doesn't have any contact information so I'm just gonna' have to hope that she checks in and get's her Halloween on!

Towards the end of the week, I will also be posting about my recent visit to the "Phoenix Art Museum." There is an exhibit there that I've been visiting since I was a toddler and I'd like to share it with all of you. Keep an eye out for this very special posting, as it will be extremely image heavy!

This is a Christmas graphic, but it's dotty, so I put it in!

This is from one of my vintage children's books called
"My Picture Story Book" by Platt & Monk, circa 1932

That's it for now. I hope everyone had a great weekend, and is everyone else feeling like the day's are just flyin' by???? I'm feelin' like a week is actually about 3 days! Crazy!

Have a great week,

Meri

I'm Clownin' around on Dotty Tuesdays!

2011-10-04T07:25:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks,

Here it is, another "Dotty Tuesday" and I'm linking up with Holly at:

You should all "hop" on over and check out the other links. I'm sharing some clowns and toys today, and I hope you all enjoy them. I want to mention, again, that if anyone is looking for particular graphics, let me know, I'll see what I can gather up for you. I'm always happy to share my graphics, as I have quite a few, so just let me know. I created the button, above, for Holly and her dotty hop day, and for the time being I'm happy to create for others, as well. So, let me know if you have a need for a custom button or banner and I'll do my best.

Have an awesome "Dotty" day! Thank you Holly for the opportunity for hoppin' dots!

Hugs,

Meri

A swap, an order and vintage kitchens

2011-09-28T12:35:00.000-07:00

Hi Y'all,

I wanted to show you a swap I did recently with Lindsey, of "Two Crazy Crafters." Every once in a while, her and I like to swap things like collages, ATC's and tags. She's incredibly talented, and I really enjoy this special little swap we do. This time our theme was vintage Halloween. If you'd like to see the ones I did, please stop by her blog and check it out HERE.

This is what I got from her:

She sent me some really neat goodies on the side.

Here's the tag she made for me.

Here's the collage she made for me......
isn't it adorable?

We're gonna' try and do another swap possibly for Valentines Day or spring......we'll see what happens!

I had a really nice lady purchase one of my sculptures from my Etsy shop recently. She chose "Katy Kat" and then sent me an image of her in her new home:

I think she looks happy in her new home. Well the nice lady that adopted Katy Kat asked for a custom order, as well. She had this little wax figurine of a bunny, holding a basket, that was made in Germany. She loved this little figurine, but being made of wax, it started to warp a little. She wanted a more lasting, more sturdy version of this little figurine, only larger. This is what she had:

She wanted the look/pose of the smaller one, but the
coloring of the larger one.

This is what I created for her:

She loves him, and she's so happy she has a more permanent version of him now.

Just in case there are any of you out there that find yourselves in the same predicament and would like a more permanent solution to a treasure that's extremely fragile, fading, or falling apart, I might be able to help you. Contact me at meriw@cox.net, and we'll see if I can help you create a more lasting treasure.

Now, because I love giving away goodies...........Here's a bunch of vintage home/kitchen images........enjoy!

God bless, and you all have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs,
Meri

It's "Dotty Hop Day"

2011-09-27T06:31:00.002-07:00

Hi Folks,

It's "Dotty Hop Day" over at Holly's "Cutie Pie Cottage" formerly known as "Girls at Heart." I've linked up, and if you love dots, you should too!

I've loved Polka Dots forever, so why don't I incorporate them in my blog you ask? Good question! Soon I will be switching to my holiday blog layout, but as of the first of the year I think I will be changing the look of my blog .....again.....and incorporate those adorable little dots somehow. Most likely I will be working with Karen Valentine to help me figure something out. She's local, so I'm blessed that I can hook up with her personally and go creatively crazy.

Anyhoo, please stop over at Holly's blog and check out all the polka dot linky's.

My winners have finally spoken. Sue, from "Sue loves Cherries" was my grand prize winner and got to choose from a set of images for which sculpture she'd like to have made. She chose this sweet little girl:

She would, however, wish to change the dress color to red and she asked for a small cluster of "white" cherries to be on the front. How cute is that gonna' be! Now some of you might remember I've done a sculpt very similar to this before. Check out Miss Rhea's blog, to see what I mean.

I'm really looking forward to creating this again cause she's just so stinkin' cute.

As my runner up winner, my lovely friend Nan from "Retired in Alaska," got to choose one of my current Halloweenies collection. She chose the Halloweenie #2:

He is pretty cute, and I think she's really gonna' like him. If any of you would like to have one of the sculpts in this collection, please "Click Here," or go to the "Etsy" banner link to the right side of my blog and visit my shop. There are 5 more available in this group. I'm currently working on Halloween figures for this year and I hope to have at least one, if not two available before Halloween. Keep an eye on my blog for future news about this endeavor.

That's it for today, ya'll have a great week.

Hugs,

Meri

It's Fall and I've got winners!!!!!

2011-09-23T06:19:00.002-07:00

Howdy Folks,

Yes, it's the first day of Fall..........wahoo! We've finally had a break in the past two weeks from out triple digit weather.

I want to thank all of you for all the lovely comments for my birthday and my work, and double thanks to those of you who posted about my giveaway.

And now for the winners.............drum roll please:

The grand prize winner, out of twelve of you who commented and posted about my giveaway is..........

Sue, from "Sue Loves Cherries"

Congratulations, you get to choose from the posted images on my birthday post for me to make a custom created sculpture. Here's the link to the images: http://imagimeris.blogspot.com/2011/09/its-my-birthday-and-time-for-my-fall.html

You'll need to contact me and let me know your choice, and your address at meriw@cox.net

And now for the runner-up prize winner from the other 22

participants..............

Nan from "Retired in Alaska."

Nan you get to choose one of my Halloween "skinnies" collection, again the images can be found on this link: http://imagimeris.blogspot.com/2011/09/its-my-birthday-and-time-for-my-fall.html

I will also need your address again, and which sculpture you'd like to have at meriw@cox.net

CONGRATULATIONS TO BOTH OF YOU LADIES!

The rest of you, please don't fret......Christmas/winter is coming soon and another chance for a giveaway, as well!

Here's some fall graphics for you all:

Please have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs,

Meri

Graphic Goodies Galore

2011-09-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks,

Yes, I'm still alive, although our area cable company has been doing improvements/upgrades lately and so our Internet has been sporadic. Had I known they were going to be doing this, I would have planned accordingly with my posts..........sigh.

My mom is still here with me, and seeing some pretty good improvement, but it's still a wait and see situation. She's been out of the hospital for over a week now, going on two weeks, but that's always been the time when she starts getting sick again. I've been holding her hostage and not letting her go anywhere to see if the problem was taking her places and letting her pick up all kinds of germs. She has no immune system, so I've been experimenting with keeping her home and away from the public. So far so good, but I can't keep her locked up forever as she's getting pretty bored. There's only so many magazines you can read and puzzles you can do! She's currently being treated for ulcerative colitis and microscopic colitis, and the treatment seems to be helping. If we can just get her to gain about 40-50 pounds she can continue on with her chemo treatments........any hints for a diet with no sugar, no milk/lactose products? Those are the big poundage elements and she can't have them as she's diabetic and lactose intolerant......aaaaaaaaaghghhgh. Do you even know how difficult this has been?

Anyway, fingers crossed, she's getting better........she just needs fattening up! I'd happily give her mine, but can't figure out the transfer procedure!

So many wonderful things have been happening lately, and I've got so much to share with you all, but I'm still in the process of learning how to use my new camera. I'll definitely post all the goodies I've gotten lately once I get pictures of them.

Here's a bunch of goodies for ya'll.

Please don't forget to leave a comment on my "Fall Giveaway" post so you're eligible for the giveaway. All you have to do is be a follower and leave a comment HERE!

Back with more soon.

Hugs,

Meri

It's My Birthday and time for my fall giveaway!

2011-09-03T05:52:00.002-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Guess what??? It's my birthday today and it's time for my fall giveaway. I'm going to go out on a limb a little bit here.....because it's my birthday, I'm not only giving away one custom sculpt, but two! That's right, TWO ImagiMeri's Creations sculptures.......woweeee!

Now the way this works is, I will have one grand prize winner and one runner-up. The grand prize winner will get to choose a custom sculpt from the images provided here today and the runner up will receive one of my older, already completed sculpts. This contest ends on September 23rd, otherwise known as "the first day of fall."

All you have to do is 1.) be a follower, and 2.) leave a comment here on this post.........that's it! However, to sweeten the deal, the people who post my button or about my giveaway will be the pool of followers that I choose the grand prize winner from. You will need to leave a second comment letting me know that you either posted my button or wrote a post about it, so that I can verify. Those that only leave comments will be the pool of followers that I choose the runner up from. Does this make sense to you all?

Here's my button:

And here's the link to post with it:

http://imagimeris.blogspot.com/2011/09/its-my-birthday-and-time-for-my-fall.html

Here are some graphics to choose from should you be the grand prize winner:

And, should you be the runner up, here are your choices of my already completed sculptures:

Pumpkin #1

Pumpkin #2

Pumpkin #3

Pumpkin #4

Witch

So, now, easy peasy......right? Again, to qualify, you must be a follower, you must leave a comment on this post before September 23rd (the first day of fall), and if you would like to win a choice of a custom sculpt from the images posted in the beginning of this posting, you must post my button or write about the giveaway on your blog and leave me a second comment telling me so. If you are fine with winning a sculpture from my current stock, just leave a comment on this post.

Also, since it's my birthday, I thought I'd share with you the main gift my sweet hubby got for me. A brand new: Canon EOS t2i, 18 mp, HD with 1080p capability for movies.........CAMERA!

Yes, I'm spoiled (it's not just the way I smell). He's gotten me additional goodies to go with it, but I'll post about those later. Needless to say, I've got my work cut out for me in regards to just about needing a degree to operate it.

I've got big plans folks, so if you're a follower, I hope to take you on a wonderful ride in the next year or so.

I look forward to picking my winners on the 23rd!

Big Hugs,

Meri

Linking up with Sue Loves Cherries for Rednesday

2011-08-30T18:24:00.002-07:00

This sweet puppy is intended for a special project.

Howdy,

I'm linking up with Sue for her "Rednesday" posting that she hosts weekly. These are some of my creations, some are available, some are not and some are intended for another purpose entirely.

This piece is intended for something special too!

This little cutie belongs to my dear
friend Elizabeth of "Creative Breathing"

This happy shadowbox is available now in my Etsy shop.

This sweet little puppy sold a long time ago.

This little songbird has happily landed with my
good friend Melissa who is co-owner of one
of my favorite scrapbook stores "Scrapbook Barn."

These are some feed sacks I got from the very lovely
MaryDon of "Blushing Rose Too." I've been collecting
different fabrics to make a King size bedspread for when
I make over my master bedroom.

One of these days I hope to get my oldest daughter to help me
quilt this bedspread.

I've never done a quilt before, but hey.....how hard can it be????

Isn't this adorable with all the birdies on it?

Should I attempt this project, I will post about it, and you
can all see whether I succeed or fail.

These next few items are things I wish I had:

This is my kind of refrigerator!

This is what the interior looks like....dreamy isn't it?

Very sweet little bakelite scotty pin I would love to own.

How stinkin' cute is this? I want it, I want it!

Isn't this adorable.......should I make a sculpture of this?

Well, thanks for coming along for this little trip. Please visit the lovely Sue at "It's a very cherry world" who hosts this fun event every week.

Big Hugs,

Meri

For you Ephemera hunters!

2011-08-29T06:24:00.000-07:00

Hello Folks,

Just dropping in to share more graphics with you.....I've got over a million, so why not share! This load is for you folks that love ephemera (ephemera plural : paper items as posters, broadsides, and tickets that were originally meant to be discarded after use but have since become collectibles.)

I've been collecting graphics for over 10 years now....I love em'.....but I couldn't possibly use them all, so have fun!

I know it's sad, but while my mother is once again in the hospital, I am using this time to catch up on crafting and working on orders. Please check out my new additions to the "ImagiMeri's Creations" Etsy shop. Today I'm picking up a new load of cigar boxes for making more shadowboxes. Please note that I do take custom orders for pretty much anything I do, so don't hesitate to contact me if you wish something special and unique for your own, or as a gift.

Hugs,

Meri

Check out my latest releases in my Etsy Shop

2011-08-26T11:57:00.000-07:00

Hi Ya'll,

I've finally gotten to get some shadowboxes done and they are now in my Etsy shop.......take a look! There will be about 4-5 more Halloween ones and at least a dozen Christmas shadowboxes coming. Here's what's available right now:

Check out this fun Halloween shadowbox $40. I will be making
about 3 more similar to this and then one or two a little
bit different.

This is a great wall hanging made from a white wooden
breakfast tray $40.

The little girl figurine is adorable in this shadowbox...double
click for a closer look $50

This is one gorgeous winter/Christmas scene. Check out
the little snuggling birds $45.

I hope you hop over and take a look, and better yet get started on your holiday decorating by purchasing now.

Have a great weekend!

Big Hugs,

Meri

Halloween Goodies for y'all!

2011-08-23T04:34:00.001-07:00

Hi Folks,

Just another load of graphics for you. I've been very busy with order requests and taking care of my mom. It's definitely been a roller-coaster with her health. She has absolutely no immune system and is currently feverish and in pain. The possibility of her going back into the hospital (for a fifth time) is very real. I had other sad news yesterday....one of my dogs has breast cancer and she's too old and sick to withstand surgery. We will most likely be putting her down in the near future. Needless to say, I'm not able to post about any significant happenings until things settle down. Most likely I will be posting graphics for y'all for the next few posts, as it's easy for me to throw these out there. I miss getting around to all the blogs I love and keeping up with all of you, but it's just not possible right now.

Think of me when you can, and please keep my mom in your prayers. My dog is at the moment relatively pain free, but as we all know....cancer waits for no one. We are trying to determine whether we'll be able to tell when she is suffering and then relieve her of her misery. This is hardest on my youngest daughter, Abby, as it's her dog. Thanks for stopping by, and I'm sorry I didn't have better news, but this is life.

Hugs,

Meri

The Wizard of Oz ATC Blog Hop

2011-08-20T09:14:00.001-07:00

Hi Folks,

Today I'm participating in the Wizard of OZ ATC Blog Hop. The card here at the top is one I made in a series of ATC's for a "Fairytale & Fables" trade done locally here at "Mystic Paper" a few years ago. Sorry the images are blurry, but I didn't have a very good camera back then. I'm also showing the rest of the cards I did in the series just for the heck of it. Here's the rest of them:

Hansel and Gretel leaving bread crumbs for a trail.

Cinderella's glass slipper.

The alligator that swallowed the clock in Peter Pan.

The Ugly Duckling

Humpty Dumpty

Rapunzel (I braided embroidery floss to make her hair)

Thumbellina

Little Mermaid

Sleeping Beauty

Aladdin

Alice in Wonderland

Snow White

Jack in the Beanstalk

The Princess and the Frog

I sewed fabric and paper together on each one of these, to create the backgrounds and either used images from the Internet or drew my own and printed them out on fabric. I then glued them and embellished them further. In the trade, Rapunzel turned out to be the most popular and almost had a fight break out over it....isn't that silly?

Hope you enjoyed these, and have a great weekend.

Hugs,

Meri

Ms Eulalie Banks, if you please

2011-08-16T21:46:00.001-07:00

Hello Friends

I would like to pay homage to my most favorite children's illustrator........EVER! Ms. Eulalie Banks is her name, and she is one of the most accomplished artist/illustrators (even to this day) for children's stories, and most of her books are still in publication on a reoccurring basis. You may read a very nice biography about her here: http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/professional-development/childlit/eulalie.html, however, not much is really known about her. As prolific as she was, she was private and unassuming and you will be sure to find plenty of her illustrations around, but very little on the tiny person herself. I've been collecting her illustrated books for some time now, and I thought I'd share some images from her very first American book (she emigrated from England) "The Cock, The Mouse and The Little Red Hen" copyright 1925 by the Platt & Munk Company, Inc., retold by Watty Piper.

Her colors were vivid and her images were genuine and playful and just a hint of mischief. When illustrating children, their expressions were of wonder and innocence, which I find very potent in this day and age. I hope you take time to visit the link shown above and find out a little bit about the wonderful Eulalie, and please enjoy the following images taken from the book I have.

I think this is one of the cutest cottages I've seen. I so want to live there!

This would be my neighbor if I lived in the cottage above........;o)

It's funny, but I'm always yawning so I can totally relate to this image.

This is very hard to do without an opposable thumb.

This is the vintage version of "couch potato."

Again, very hard to carry a tray and cup without an opposable thumb.

I think most of you will agree that these are stunning! I will have more to come, never fear.

Hugs,

Meri

Quick drop off of graphic goodies for you

2011-08-14T19:44:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Just a quick drop off of graphics as I'm pretty busy with my mom right now. I hope to have new things to show you soon, so keep a look out.

I am the proud new owner of some really cool stuff. This tray and these cups are now mine, and after the rest of my really cool stuff comes, I'll post all about them............there's a lot..........it's all really cool.......so you should come back..............muwahhaa!

These are so teeny tiny and adorable. I got em from this shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/sushipotparts?ref=seller_info

Enjoy these goodies.........I'll be back with more!

Hugs,

Meri

I have a 200th follower!

2011-08-05T16:26:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

I have a 200th follower......yahoo, yippee.......I'm so blessed! I did not announce a contest for this, but I felt obliged to celebrate that 200 people seem to enjoy my crafting and ideas.

Jeannette Bashore of http://jrbcreations.blogspot.com, is my 200th follower and I'd love it if she would contact me at meriw@cox.net and give me her address so I can send her some appreciation goodies.

In follow-up news.....my mom is back in the hospital. She developed a fever yesterday and I had to take her back in. She does not seem to be able to shake the infections raging through her tiny little frame. Since she's been home with me for the past two weeks, there was such hope that she was on the mend. Her appetite improved and I got to spend lovely days with her reminiscing about the old days. However, she's lost close to 10 pounds in just these past two weeks, and she was already underweight. We hope to find out what's going on with her system by bringing in more specialists.

Continued prayers for my mommy would be greatly appreciated. I know there's so much loss and hardship going on out there in the world, and I'm sorry I'm not able to fully get around and visit all my favorite blogs. Although I'm trying to stay hopeful and encouraged here, I want you all to know that I'm still sending out loving, healing prayers for those of you in need.

Thank you all for so many wonderful, warm thoughts and prayers already sent, they do help.

Big Hugs,

Meri

Introducing: SMUTT THE CAT and his new owner

2011-08-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Today, one of my most favorite artists came by to pick up her 2011 Summer Giveaway Winnings. The wonderful and always lovely Joanne Livingston of "Desert Country Bear Creations" came by to meet Smutt the Cat, her choice for a custom sculpt.

This is my interpretation of the image she sent to me:

Joanne just left and I have to tell you, it's kind of rewarding to meet my winners in person. She had a very sweet reaction to her sculpt, and it was quite humbling to hear her praises when she's such a remarkable artist in her own right. I'm just ecstatic she was happy.

Tune in to Joanne's Blog for her reaction to her winning sculpt.

Next up.......my fall giveaway will be starting in September, probably on the 17th, a week before fall actually begins. Stay tuned!

Hugs,

Meri

I have been under the weather.

2011-08-03T07:23:00.001-07:00

Howdy Folks,

I guess it had to happen soon or later. I've been under an extreme amount of stress lately and yesterday it found it's way out, and out, and out............if you know what I mean.

I'm feeling a little better today, but my stomach is very sore and most food just isn't appetizing right now. My biggest problem yesterday was that as soon as I'd take my pain medication......it would come right back up and I had a heck of a time getting my pain levels under control and trying to avoid withdrawal. For those of you on narcotics for pain, I think you know what I mean.

Tomorrow the lovely Joanne of "Desert Mountain Bears" comes to pick up her summer winnings. I can't wait to see what she thinks of my interpretation of "Smutt the Cat" seen below.

But for now, I'm not feeling well so I thought I'd pass on some get well goodies for those of you needing a title image for when you're feelin' poorly.

Now this last image is from someones blog, and I'm so sorry I can't remember who, but you posted about the cutest doll highchair and it had this image on it. The original was all scratched up and dirty, but I cleaned it up for you, whoever you are. Please identify yourself, as I've been going back into friends blogs for hours now and driving myself crazy. I hope you like the newer version.

That's it for today. Ya'll have a great rest of the week.

Hugs,

Meri

Miscellaneous Goodies for you

2011-07-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

Howdy,

Just thought I'd stop by and let you all know that my mom is doing much better here with me. She's eating 3 times a day, with snacks in between, getting physical and occupational therapy and has nurses visiting her a few times a week. She's still a little wobbly and tiny, but in good spirits. Her medicinal regimen compromises the whole top of a large dresser, with liquids, huge pills and tiny pills, and in every color of the rainbow. I lay out her doses 4 times a day and somehow she manages to get it all down......miraculous.

Joanne of "Desert Mountain Bear" will be stopping by next week to pick up her giveaway winnings. She won my summer giveaway of a custom paperclay sculpt and got to pick out her own image for me to use. Lucky for me, she lives here in the Valley of the Sun and can come get it, as I'm not able to leave my mom alone at this point. I will definitely post piccy's after she has received it, so keep your eyes out for that.

Here are some miscellaneous goodies for you as you've all responded so greatly to these free graphics. I've recently gotten some wonderful antique children's story books and will post about those soon, as well.

Enjoy, and I hope you're all having a great summer. Hey, school starts soon........whahoo!

Hugs,

Meri

I have a new room-mate and presents for you!

2011-07-26T06:39:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

My mom is out of the hospital and staying with me now. Because of her severely weakened immune system, and the fact that she's had just about every infection possible, she needs 24/7 care. I don't work (due to disabilities) and just happen to have a spare bedroom and bathroom. I spent the weekend painting, moving furniture and cleaning (my pain levels are out of this world), but I'm so excited to have her here with me. I love taking care of people, it's one of my passions. I'm gonna' get her all plumped up and stronger so that she can restart her chemo. I don't know exactly how long she'll be living with us, but I'm sure it will be long past her patience with me........;o)

One of my other passions, as most of you know, is graphics, and here are the promised kitties! Enjoy!

I hope everyone has a wonderful week, and I hope to be posting about my summer giveaway sculpt very soon.

Big Hugs,

Meri