Day 1 ~ Of the Rest of My Life...

Oblidi Oblada! la la la...

Day 2 ~ A Whiter Shade of Pale Indeed...

it's almost done...

Day 4 ~ PS - someone like Rebecca Parsons doesn't come along all that often...

found in my inbox this morning...

Happy Birrrrthday to Youuuu, Happy Birrrrthday to Youuuu, Happy Birrrrthday Dear Rebecca, Happy Birrrrthday to Youuuu! A few years back, not so long ago, heaven and earth erupted into a major celebration with the news of your impending adventure into this very time and space. You see, someone like Rebecca Parsons doesn't come along all that often. In fact, there's never been a single one like you, nor is there ever ANY possibility that another will come again. You're an Angel among us. Someone, whose eyes see what no others will EVER see, whose ears hear what no others will EVER hear, and whose perspective and feelings will NEVER, ever be duplicated. Without YOU, the Universe, and ALL THAT IS, would be sadly less than it is. Quite simply: You're the kind of person, Rebecca, Who's hard to forget, A one-in-a-million To the people you've met. Your friends are as varied As the places you go, And they all want to tell you In case you don't know: That you make a big difference In the lives that you touch, By taking so little And giving so much! Rebecca, you are so AWESOME! For your birthday, friends and angels from every corner of the Universe, including buddies you didn't know you had, will be with you to wish you the HAPPIEST of days and an exciting new year in time and space. You won't be alone! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Rebecca! Mike Dooley Orlando, Florida, USA PS - Rebecca, this is going to be YOUR year!!

© www.tut.com ®


image from www.india-forums.com

Day 5 ~ Stayin' Alive

so far I am...

not sure how or why...

Day 6 ~ You are Not Seeing ALL

The is my message from the universe this morning:

When you see things that pain you, Rebecca, that sadden you, or that make your heart ache, remember... you're not seeing all.


I hope you never need this one.


All love,
The Universe

Day 7 ~ Closing In on Storage

Today we loaded our first truck for storage. My son is great at logistics and spacial configurations. I am blessed that he came to help. I am writing quickly in between loads. I hope to get another load of furniture in the unit before the end of the day!!!

Please pray for me...send good energy. I love you!!!

Day 10 ~ The Hands of Time

The hands of time march relentlessly on regardless of your willingness to participate!

The Bride Returns Steampunk

I am having so much fun with Steampunk...I almost can't stop creating the art...Viva Las VegaStamps! has so many fun items and images to use it is hard to choose...

Layers and layers were created in Photoshop, filters and opacity were changed, it was painted and punked up...manipulated and arranged to create an amusing image of a bride holding the Eifle Tower like an umbrella, her heart floating among the gears and sprockets...

This is a digital collage was created from old photographs, real sprockets and gears available from VLV and the following stamps:

16020 Steampunk Heart Large 2 1/4 x 2

16006 Steampunk Background/Collage 2 1/2 x 3

1806_1 Eiffel Tower/Large 2 1/4 x 5

gears7 Sprocket Gears

Rebecca's Divine Toll House Smores

this is from Cre8tive Compass dot com...

I am having a BBQ followed by a Beach Dessert made with Nestlé^® yummy chocolate and Walmart Ice Cream called

Rebecca's Divine Toll House Smores

 Rebecca's Divine Toll House Smores with Nestlé Chocolate

A few weeks ago I went to The Walmart Ice Cream Social and shared that story with you. (photo at right) #theicecreamsocial

I mentioned that the ice cream social inspired me to hold an old fashioned barbecue with ice cream dessert on the beach. I am so lucky to live on Amelia Island in Florida.

I am all about doing it up right you know. I was just going to create a little graphic for this BBQ with Beach Dessert event when I came across this cute FREE printable from Nicole at Wonderful Joy Ahead blog. It really set the tone for my outdoor BBQ picnic with Beach Dessert....so I saved myself some time designing one.

i altered the colors of the original flyer[

While I was at the Walmart Ice Cream Social, I decided to shop for the items for my BBQ. I bought these:

Edy’s Slow Churned Vanilla Ice Cream, yummy Nestlé Nesquik Chocolate Syrup and creamy Reddi-Wip. I also bought chicken, corn, watermelon along with Nestlé mini Chocolate Chips, marshmallows and other miscellaneous items. I did not intend to buy much when I went, but I sure came home with a trunk full.



We grilled the chicken and corn along with a few green onions. I like to be effecient, so we grill pork chops at the same time for a later meal!!! Aren't I clever?

the main dish is grillin' with corn and green onions

But the WOW part of this meal was the Beach Dessert...Rebecca's Divine Toll House Smores....



You can't stand still and eat them they are so delicious...We made these on the beach at night after the BBQ. How fun is that? I carried the pre-made ice cream cookies in a cooler. We toast marshmallows over the flame of a Tiki Torch because we can't build a fire on our beach. Then we eat as many as we can!!!

roasting marshmallows by tiki torch...i need that firepit!!![

A little video 0of how I make Rebecca's Divine Toll House Smores....





If you want to make some...here is what you will need:

Ingredients

A batch of Nestlé Toll House Cookies (recipe below)
(if you are not a baker you can use the ready to bake version)
Edy’s Slow Churned Vanilla Ice Cream softened
Nestlé Nesquik Chocolate Syrup
Nestlé Semi-Sweet Mini Morsels
Marshmallows
Optional Reddi-Wip

Directions

Mix chocolate morsels into the ice cream. Put in freezer until ready to assemble.

Place a cookie bottom up on plate. Squirt some Nestlé Nesquik Chocolate Syrup on the cookie. Place a scoop of ice cream on top of chocolate. Cover with another cookie.

What makes them smores is the addition of a roasted marshmallow just before eating!!! YUMMM!!!

We sometimes put the cookie in a bowl with more ice cream and squirt more Nestlé Nesquik Chocolate Syrup on top and Reddi-Wip too...just for extra sinful deliciousness.

Original NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE® Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from Nestlé

Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 9 minutes Cooling Time: 15 minutes cooling
Servings: 60 cookies (5 dozen)

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

PAN COOKIE VARIATION: Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.

You should know…this post was inspired by a campaign with Nestlé for Collective Bias. I was compensated for my time but all ideas and opinions are 100% my own and my guests. I only recommend products or services I stand behind and believe my readers will enjoy. I was not required to write a positive review. #theicecreamsocial  @NestleUSA @Walmart

Kickin' Up MY Heels Art Card

A really cute art card to use as a congratulations greeting. I live in Florida, so flamingos are a beautiful thing to see. I created this on digitally...

I used a combination of paint brushes and erasers to color the bird after I stamped it on a white piece of paper and scanned it into PhotoShop.

This is Viva Las Vegastamps stamp 5167...

To the Beloved Women Before Me...

A Mother's Day Tribute

"When I find myself in times of trouble Mother Mary comes to me. Speaking words of wisdom, let it be, let it be." -The Beatles, Let it Be.

Let us pray for all of those who have ever undertaken the profession of motherhood and all the women who have come before us who helped shape us into the women we are today.

This is my beautiful and spirited Mother in one of her musicals (circa 1945). She was a singer and a dancer. She loved music. She had a radio show for years. I used to listen as a baby with my beloved Grandmother Annie Niland. A tale from my childhood: When I was about three, I missed my Mother. I was precocious, to say the least. I thought if I could get her out of that radio box, she would come home. I sent Annie to the kitchen to get me some juice. While she was gone, I took the opportunity to knock the radio off the stand and break it. Annie came rushing back in and found me standing amidst the pieces of the radio. Looking up at her with wide-eyed expectancy I announced, "Mommy will come home now." She didn't come home.

Me with the said radio

Mother and I circa 1953

My beloved Grandmother Anna Rebecca Casey Niland 

(she was in a play called The Girl of the Golden West)

My Beloved Grandmother  Emma Constance Bledsoe White

My beloved Great Grandmother "Nana" Casey

My beloved Great- Great Grandmother Penrod

Today's Intention - Tell your Mother how much you love her - in person, by phone, or in a prayer lifted up to her by angels.

U Be Creative Today!

Mother's Day Cards with Digital Design Elements

These cards were created with three of the beautiful women's face stamps from Viva Las VegaStamps. VLVS has over 75 images of women's faces available to you.

Being a digital mixed media artist, I love to combine traditional elements with digital. For this set of cards, I wanted to show stampers how easily it is to use the stamped images with digital elements. I also wanted to create three different cards using the same few design elements. It is important to note that you must respect the stamp manufacturer's copyright policies when creating anything.

I stamped each image on white paper and scanned them into PhotoShop. I created the card background elements in PhotoShop. The faces were colored and decorated digitally also.

Viva Las VegaStamps Used in these cards:

Lady In Big Red Hat 2 x 2 1/4

Item 2495 Plate 729 Ladies Woman Women Page 489

Lady In Chapeau 1 1/2 x 1 1/4
Item 5796 Plate 595 Ladies Woman Women Hat Hats Page 328

Lady Round Hat/Large 3 1/2 x 5
Item 7564 Plate 252 Ladies Woman Women Page 14

Easter Blessings

i am unplugged for the weekend to put my faith into action by serving Him and others...i wish each of you a blessed and meaningful Holy weekend...

all artwork is by Rebecca E. Parsons...

VLVS Design Team Artwork

vintage art with VLV stamp and old magazine ad

VLVS stamp 12509

This is my second design for Viva Las VegaStamps Design Team. When I first saw this stamp, I had about 10 caption ideas. I love working with VLVS stamps because they have the same sense of humor as I do and loads of vintage images.

The above artwork is just one of those many ideas.

Here's the backstory: The wife is getting ready for her first party after her marriage. She is in her brand new kitchen, but doesn't have a clue how to cook!!! She has burnt everything and her new husband walks in...all she could think was, "Honest, I didn't burn the beer!!!"

This is a digital collage. I love digital collage because I can use the artwork as a card, party invitation or even a work of art. I scanned the stamped image, colorized it and created the collage in PhotoShop. Here she is colorized:

For a step-by-step tutorial with photos visit my blog: Cre8Tive Compass Magazine.

Please visit Viva Las Vegastamps! and see the thousands of designs available. Also visit the other VLV Design Team members and tell them I sent you!

Terri Sproul, Team leader: Terri's blog
Chris Hurley: Chris' blog
Kim Prince; Kim's blog
Cheryl Lindsay: Cheryl's blog
DeeDee Catron: DeeDee's blog
Jennifer Bliss: Jen's blogYou can also find our work on Stamp Art Forum.

You can find more of my work at:

Cre8Tive Compass Magazine

Cre8Tiva's Blog

Frameable Dressmaker Collage and Card

"Dressmaker Dressmaker Make Me a Dream..."

I am Rebecca E. Parsons and this is my first design for Viva Las Vegastamps! I am honored to be on their new design team.

I love dress forms and this VLV stamp (6388) inspired me to create an artwork that honors the time worn tradition of dressmaking. I design all my cards to be frameable pieces of art for the reciepent. They just need to insert this in a 8X10" frame and hang it to enjoy forever.

The artwork is titled: "Dressmaker Dressmaker Make Me a Dream..." It is in honor of my grandmother Annie Niland who taught me how to sew on a Singer tredle sewing machine when I was just a young girl. She had an old dress form in the corner of the sewing room and the bits and pieces in this collage are all reminicient of that time I spent with her.

Here is how I created this:

I stamped the image on a piece of heavy watercolor paper (120 pound) with BRILLIANCE Cosmic Copper pigment ink by Tsuneko. I folded the paper and wet the edges so it would tear easily.

I then tore the paper along the fold line.

I did free-motion stitching with black thread and my sewing machine in an oval shape around the image. This was very random allowing the stitches to show and create texture and depth.

Then I began to collage bits and pieces to accent the image and the theme of dressmaking. I used old pattern tissue, an antique button, an old tape measure, etc. When I was pleased with the arrangement, I glued the pieces down and sewed around them again to secure the tissue. I removed the shank from the button and hot glued it in place.

I then went to work on the background. I had this Vintage Black Harlequin cardstock (no longer available) from The Paper Studio in my stash. It was perfect. I cut and frayed the edges of some cream colored burlap and glued it on the front of the cardstock at an angle.

Next I painted the dress form with Copic markers to add shape and dimension. I used YR04 and YR16. I then glued the artwork to the background. I felt it needed a little bling so I added glitter glue in gold to the base of the form and wrapped some gold pearls around the image and glued them with dots of hot glue. Here is a close up of the art:

Please visit Viva Las Vegastamps! and see the thousands of designs available. Also visit the other VLV Design Team members and tell them I sent you!

Terri Sproul, Team leader: Terri's blog
Chris Hurley: Chris' blog
Kim Prince; Kim's blog
Cheryl Lindsay: Cheryl's blog
DeeDee Catron: DeeDee's blog
Jennifer Bliss: Jen's blogYou can also find our work on Stamp Art Forum.

You can find more of my work at:

Cre8Tive Compass Magazine

Cre8Tiva's Blog

Viva Las VegasStamps Design Team

GREAT NEWS!!! I have been selected as a member of the Design Team for Viva Las VegasStamps. I am so inspired by the VLVstanps...my mind runs wild!!! You will soon see we share the same sense of humor... You can catch updates on Stampo Blog and order the stamps at Viva Las VegasStamps.

Here is my first design team contribution...an Escape Winter Party Invitation created with stamps from just released Plate 1328.

invitation to escape winter party

The card is a mixed media design personified. The design was created in Photoshop after I stamped the images on white paper and colored them. The entire image was scanned and digitized, placed on a card in PhotoShop and words were added.

Other team members are:

Terri Sproul, Team leader: Terri's blog

Chris Hurley: Chris' blog
Kim Prince; Kim's blog
Cheryl Lindsay: Cheryl's blog
DeeDee Catron: DeeDee's blog

Jennifer Bliss: Jen's blog

Please visit their blogs to see their designs and say hello. You can also find our work on Stamp Art Forum and VivaLas Blog.

Stamps used:

Card:

Plate 1328 - A wonderful selection of unmounted rubber images and sayings from the fabulous Viva Las Vegastamps! collection measuring approximately 7" x 9".