Day brighteners

Fingerprint Friday - Baby, it's cold outside

 

 

We've had more snow this week and so far today we've had ice, sleet and rain. I have a hard time being thankful for weather like this but I can think of some good things! I'm very thankful that it's my day off from work and I don't have to drive in this, and I am thankful for our nice, warm house. Time to go make a big pot of soup. :)


I Thessalonians 5:18 – In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.


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There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know it's true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of God

So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Where do you see them? To find out how to join "Fingerprint Friday" and see links to other posts, visit Beki at The Rusted Chain.

Day Brighteners

Perfect for a cold winter's day

Just enjoyed some wonderful black bean soup! (Takes a total of 2 1/2 hours to cook.)
Makes 4 servings.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups black turtle beans
1 1/2 quarts of water or vegetable stock
1 T oil (olive or vegetable)
1 carrot
1 onion
1 potato
2 stalks celery
1 bay leaf
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp savory
2 tsp salt
pinch pepper
minced fresh garlic or pinch garlic powder
2 fresh lemons

Wash black turtle beans, put in saucepan with water or vegetable stock and oil. Cover tightly, bring to a boil, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Check periodically, stir, and add liquid as necessary.

Add chopped onion, chopped carrot, chopped potato, 2 stalks celery and seasonings. Bring to boil, then simmer for 1 hour or until everything is tender. Again, check periodically and add liquid if needed. Just before serving, add juice of 1 lemon and garnish with thin lemon slices. Bon appetit!

Day Brighteners

Snowed in

We got quite a bit of snow yesterday in Western NC. It varies from 5" to 8" in different parts of our yard.

Front yard and the woods...


The front sidewalk...


Weird formation on the railing...


Front steps before anyone walked on them...


Looking out the back door...




Our dog loved running full speed all over the yard.








Looking out over our front yard/down the driveway...


Front porch steps after the dog and I messed up all the snow...


St. Francis in our front yard...

Fingerprint Friday - Honk honk

One of my favorite places in the world is this lake in Black Mountain, NC, about 20 miles west of Asheville. I used to live there and loved walking around the lake every morning, enjoying the beauty of the surrounding mountains and the wildlife.

On Tuesday I met a friend at a restaurant for lunch in Black Mountain and then drove over to the lake for a walk. As you can see, it was an overcast day with a blustery wind but I savored every moment. I felt sorry for the birds having to be out in the cold, and they were not happy with me, disturbing their nap when I walked by. They untucked their little heads from under their wings, and let me know in no uncertain terms with some energetic "honks"! :) Aren't they beautiful?



"In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind." (Job 12:10)

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There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know it's true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of God

So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Where do you see them? To find out how to join "Fingerprint Friday" and see links to other posts, visit Beki at The Rusted Chain.

Lion, Tiger, and Bear Share Lifelong Bond

Posted on care2.com

By Stephanie Rogers, MNN.com

They were together even as tiny cubs, found in Atlanta, Ga., during a police raid on the home of a drug baron. So perhaps that strange beginning helped forge this unusual friendship between Leo, Shere Khan and Baloo — a lion, a tiger and a bear.

Now, the trio lives together in their own purpose-built habitat at Noah’s Ark rescue center in Locust Grove, Ga., where they even have a creek to swim in.

They moved into the roughly $24,000 home after living with the zoo’s founders for eight years.

“To our knowledge, this is the only place where you’ll find this combination of animals together, they are our BLT, (bear, lion and tiger),” said Diane Smith, assistant director of the zoo at Noah’s Ark.

Visitors can watch the 1,000-pound bear, 350-pound lion and 350-pound tiger play together in the grass, or lounge on their porch.

Jama Hedgecloth, cofounder of the zoo, says the animals are “oblivious” to the fact that they wouldn’t be friends in nature. They share a bond that Hedgecloth and her husband Charles recognized early on.

“It is wonderful and magical to see a giant American black bear put his arm around a Bengal tiger and then to see the tiger nuzzle up to the bear like a domestic cat. When Leo wakes up, the three of them mess around for most of the day before they settle down to some food.”

“Noah’s Ark is their home and they could not possibly be separated from each other.”

Fingerprint Friday - Happy Birthday, Meg!

Today is my granddaughter Megan Claire's 8th birthday! I thank God for this beautiful little girl I'm privileged to know and love. She is very smart, loves horses, is great at soccer and is our "girly girl." Love you, Meg!

~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~
There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know it's true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of God

So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Where do you see them? To find out how to join "Fingerprint Friday" and see links to other posts, visit Beki at The Rusted Chain.

Tutorial - How to use Alcohol Inks with Polymer Clay - Part II - Faux Ceramic

This is the 2nd part of my tutorial for using alcohol inks with polymer clay. Today we explore how to make "faux ceramic" pieces.

What you need:



• White polymer clay or light-colored scrap clay
• Something you can press into the clay to texture it (see step 2 below)
• Cookie cutter or craft knife
• Wax paper
• Alcohol inks
• Paintbrush
• Brayer or Roller
• Liquid Sculpey



1. Condition and roll out a piece of white clay.



2. Texture the clay with a texture sheet....or a rubber stamp....or a sea shell or a rock....or something you find around the house like jewelry or buttons with a pattern on it.

3. Cut out the size you want, with a cookie cutter (dedicated to clay only) or your craft knife.

Here is my heart, textured and cut out.


4. Bake the clay and let it cool.

5. While waiting for the clay to bake, squeeze out some Liquid Sculpey on a piece of waxed paper and drop a few drops of alcohol ink on it. You can make several little blops with different colors and let them sit a few minutes so the ink evaporates a bit. Mix each blop with a paintbrush.



6. Apply some of the ink and Liquid Sculpey with a paintbrush or your finger. You can make your piece all one color or put different colors on different sections of it...or apply ink and dab some off with a tissue. Experiment to see what you like best!



7. Bake again for 15 minutes.

8. Finish as you wish as a pin, pendant or magnet. I will coat mine with acrylic varnish and glue on a pinback.

Here are some other pieces where I used a variety of colors on different sections.



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For a completely different effect than starting with white clay, here is a moon pin I made from blue, black and violet scrap clay. I put some plum alcohol ink on part of it, and let the clay colors show through on other parts.




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Here are some faux ceramic pins and pendants for purchase in my Etsy shop:

Happy Colors Heart Pin

Contemporary Swirls Pendant

Contemporary Green and Turquoise Pendant

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The instructions I followed came from here... Faux Ceramics Tutorial

You can find more ideas for using alcohol inks here:

Craft Gossip
Crafty Goat
Beads and Beading
Mossy Owls' Ten Ways to Use Alcohol Inks

I hope you have as much fun as I have!