Fun Times

I was completing a sketch for Scrap Friendzy's January Sketch-a-thon. I thought the January 23rd sketch looked pretty difficult, but it went together surprisingly easy! Below are my results

First, the sketch: Sketch 23, Lucy Chesna Designs

Below is a photo of my results:



Supplies: K & Company Kazoo Kids Scrap Pad and chipboard, Pink Paislee Vintage Moon Collection overlay and Fetching die cut sticker, Co-ordinations paper and various other on-hand items. All items came from my stash.

On a cold day, its it nice

to stay indoors and scrap! I didn't get that much scrappy time in, but I was able to complete a few layouts.

These are some I did for challenges over at Sketches 4 All and the Wednesday, Use a Swap Day challenge at Scrapbooking Fun



Papers: Imaginise Polar Expressions
Ribbon: Imaginise Polar Expressions
Photo Holder: from the swap
Sketch/layout (only page one of two shown)Sketches 4 All

The next layout is also a sketch for a challenges over at Sketches 4 All.



Papers: Fancy Pants - Simplicity (brown dots)
Arctic Chill - Freeze (behind the photos)
Graphic 45 Christmas Past - Ode to Joy

Lettering, felt: Mark Richards Handmade Felt Alphabet Stickers
Baby and lower border: Fiskars Baby Photo Memories Accents

Several of the items are ones that I have had, because they are pretty, but hadn't used because ---- I have no idea why! I love the photos, so why not use the supplies I enjoy as well!

This is something I have to combat alot - using what I purchased - no idea why it is so tough sometimes, but it is. However, as dh tells me - if you buy it, use it and enjoy it. I do have to say - putting together these simple pages was fun!

All sorts of fun

I am working on a patterned paper challenge over at Practical Scrappers. I love pp challenges and can't wait to decide on which pictures to use. I have some wonderful scraps that are from swap that just calling to be used and I know I have scrap pp that would coordinate! For the following, I used My Mind's Eye/Wild Asparagus Pretty Little Girl Dots/Blue Paper, Pretty Little Girl Lace Magnolias/Lavender Paper, two sheets of paper from my stash that have no writing, so no idea what they are :), vivid ink lavender pad, Storybook Cricut Cartridge and a piece of 12" ribbon from my stash. The buttons were from a set of blues that say Tres Joli French Kisses n the bottle. It took some figuring as I only had one sheet each of the two Wild Asparagus papers, something that drives me nuts as I usually buy 2-3 sheets of each type. A few ways to conserve - I cut the center from the 8x10 mat to use to mat the 4x6's, the ribbon was cut after I figured out where to place things so I would have enough for both borders, and the heart border is also cut behind the 8x10. I do have scraps left, but wanted to be sure I didn't run out of paper, so did what I could to conserve.




Also - I just posted a new Unique Item challenge over at Scrapbooking Fun. Can you handle it??? It is a recycling type of challenge - if you buy bread, you probably have what you need to give this challenge a shot!

Photos coming later today!

Peanut Update

She is up to 71 pounds and learning to eat her calf starter mix. She still likes her bottle best, but is learning that food helps a lot. She has grown almost one pound per day over the last week! We are trying to get her to grow at that rate, so it is good. She quite a bit of her time outside now, and comes running when she sees her bottle on its way.

Monochromatic Swap Anyone?

I have a Monochromatic Swap over at Scrapbooking Fun that needs a few more swappers. If you are interested, check it out. Monochromatics are always a lot of fun because they always match! If you aren't sure what a Monochromatic piece is, scroll down to January 16 - I have a purple border that I created shown. Monochromatic is simply multiple shades of the same color. They are a lot of fun, but sometimes intimidating until you use them.

Don't forget - The Great Blog-cation Get-away starts in March. Below is another preview of a piece of the grand prize package!

Peanut and Scraps

Peanut likes to come over and see what I am up to when I am using my computer. The table is at a bar-height, she is small, but not as tiny as if it was a regular length table.


I stopped by my favorite scrapbook shop and picked up the prizes for my January Challenge over at Scrapbooking Fun. It isn't too late to join in the fun. Stop over and check things out!


And remember - the Blog-cation starts in March - I just found a few fun pieces to add to the prize package - here is a sneak peak of one item:

Learning

I am working on a swap for Scrapbooking Fun. It is altered canvas. I have never worked with canvas before, so this is an interesting journey.

My first attempts didn't even make it into pictures - however, I did learn that alcohol ink colors are great, but need to be "watered down" to make them spread correctly.

Below is another attempt at working with canvas. This time I tried water colors. I don't know what I am doing, so just added paint/water until I liked the background.


Next, I used one of my favorite flourish stamps, inked with Stazon




Now, I can kind of see something, I just wish I knew what LOL. So - try various flowers, some lace, glimmer mist, who knows where this will end up?




I am also working on an embossing challenge over at Practical Scrappers. I like the piece, but it sure didn't work as I hoped. I will save the pieces - first I dry embossed the image, then inked the raised portions. Oh well - back to the drawing board.

Some little monsters I am working on for a Lil'Monsters Swap over at Scrapbooking Fun, using the Reminise Monster line of papers. I used Crystal Lacquer to give these little guys a bit of 3-D effect and added some google eyes. They will be used for some photo corners along with coordinating ones using the Eyeballs below. The eyeballs were cut from my Cricut Cartridge, Graphically Speaking.



Sneak peak at my final swap item - don't scroll down if you want to be surprised :)

Working on some scrappy items

I will post as I complete various items - so far, just one :)

Peanut Meets the World (in her own way)

Peanut has been outside longer and longer each day. This morning we went for a run in with other cows. Below, she is meeting the bull, his name is Luke. Other than a brief, 'Who are you', look, Luke was more interested in licking the remains of Peanut's morning bottle from her chin than anything else. Yes, cows do retain an esophageal reflex their entire lives (kind of cool - mean that if you give them a bottle, every day for life - the milk will go straight to their albulmasum)


Then we met all the cows, one by one. In this picture, Peanut's mom, the one with horns, sniffed, then left and Juniette, mom of Bug (calf Peanut is smelling) is also interested to see who the newcomer may be. Unfortunately, Peanut's mom is still less interested in Peanut than any other cow in the pasture.


And now it is time for our run. Glad Peanut doesn't run as fast as Bug yet, or I couldn't keep up LOL. Peanut is beginning to figure out that the halter, though she has to follow its orders, isn't as bad as she first thought. It is a nice 20 degree morning, so Peanut isn't wearing her blanket. However, after a good meet and greet and run, it is time to come inside and rest.


Oh - if you are curious, the dirt you see is not due to lack of snow (there are about 15 inches of "old" snow on the ground right now). It is because we had to plow the way to where we store our hay in the winter.

A New Online Store

Well, maybe not new to you, but definitely new to me. It is called NoelMignon and you can check it out HERE.

She does offer some beautiful kits. Off to spend some time looking at everything offered :)

*** Coming in March*** keep checking back for a great Blog-cation!! Details will appear both at Scrapbooking Fun and here about one week before this 8 week journey begins! You can stay home in your jammies and enjoy a fun site seeing and activity tour, complete with some great Vacation Scraping prizes that will be given away the final day of this event!

Do you like challenges? I just listed some new ones over at Scrapbooking Fun. Scroll down to fun and games to participate. I can't wait to see the results of anyone who is up for the major challenge of scrapping with unique items!

Favorite Tag of 2009

Well - I was looking at a lot of different things and a question came up about posting my favorite tag that I have done. I do have to say - it is a fairly simple one, I would change a few things next time, but it is the first one below (has photographs). Also are some of my other tags that I enjoyed creating this past year. Technically, the All Star tag was completed in 2010 for a challenge over at Sketches 4 All/Sketches 4 You

Inspired by TH Tags of Christmas, I completed this tag for the 25 Days of December Challenge over at Scrapbooking Fun. Thanks Pixerframer for all the great classes. They gave me the push to try another tag - so here is my favorite for the past year (sorry the picture quality isn't so hot):








All the tags were given away, many before I took pictures, but that was a really fun part - seeing smiles on faces when they ask about tags. Only the All Star tag and my favorite (which became a tree ornament) are still here.

Something to smile about - Peanut is eating hay!!! Not large quantities, but Izzy has been teaching her how to do so. Picture is blury because Peanut was moving her head, but it is a good sign!! The other picture is Peanut in her halter. She loves to run about outside for periods of time (it is nice if she does at least her most smelly duty there too!). She is getting stronger each day, though she is still really thin. She didn't think too much of her pretty blue halter, though she doesn't seem to mind it either.

Sparkly fun!!

I learned about crushing skittles and love the look when they are adhered with glaze! Below is one of my first projects, a tag! The blue behind the skittles was coated with crystal lacquer and looks sparkly when the sun hits it! I used Diamond stickles on the top for an icicle look. The tag is for a challenge over at Practical Scrappers

The green leaves are actually fine glitter and the black embossing adds just enough to make the whole tag shine.


Below is another of my favorite tags - the sparkly paper is so fun! This one is my take on one of the TH Tags of Christmas. Pixerframer, over at Scrapbooking Fun taught some classes on making the TH Tags of Christmas your own - ever since, I have developed a new love for tags.

Normal?

Not really, Peanut is still in the house. She eats well, but still sleeps a lot. I remember Izzy took a good 2-3 weeks, it could be that Peanut may take a bit longer. She seems to be happy and has adjusted to all the animals.

Now to figure out how to take good pictures of a white calf in a sort of dark basement - sometimes they turn out, mostly, they aren't.

The biggest advantage to having Peanut in the house - I have more time to scrap! I have finished 11 layouts so far this year! Huge for me, as I can always find other stuff that needs to be done. Since Peanut is in the room I scrap in - it isn't too bad to get things out, leave them there to care for her, then return to my scrapping.

Here is another layout I completed - it was for a challenge. Pretty simple, but I am happy with the results.


Below is a tag I did this morning for another challenge. I used 5 different shades of purple ink to get the background the way I wanted it. Again - it is very simple, but I am happy with the results.

Busy Times

Peanut is ready to go outside - however, we aren't completed with her area, so not quite yet :)

Girl Scout Cookie Sales starting up pretty quick. Silly Supper is tonight and should be a lot of fun (it always is). Imagine - eating spaghetti with a fork or a salad with no utensils :)

A hockey game on tap for today and Boy Scout meetings. We will be busy.

I did get another layout completed last night - older pictures, but the memories they evoke are wonderful. It is a two page spread, but only showing the first (left) page below

Whoo Hoo - Peanut is trying to jump !!

Izzy and her bow - a quick question for scrappers - what is the easiest way to put a bow on a sheep? Glue dots, of course LOL

Peanut continues to improve. It is so nice that she is. Often, animals who come in are found too late to do much for other than make them comfortable. Peanut and Izzy will be moving outside soon (yes, I am excited, though I know it is a week away) and I can clean up and out my basement!!

Peanut loves to sleep in front of the fireplace these days. The screen keeps her from getting too close. Izzy seems to have the hang of it - she never has touched the fireplace, however, calfy has some singed fur from getting close.

I am hoping to get some work on my swaps done today. I finished setting up recipes in publisher to print for Pixerframers Can't Resist Recipe swap. I even did some sketches to figure out matting, embellishments and all for recipe cards :)

Also on tap - re-figuring a photo mat for the Scrapbooking Swap. I made one mat and don't care for it at all! I have no idea how to make it better and have been trying to figure out why I volunteered to do a photo mat - I always find them extremely challenging. Oh yeah - that is why I picked a photo mat - they are so hard for me that the only way I will improve is to do - - - sometimes I wish my parents hadn't taught me that (NOT - so happy they did). Well - off to finish brunch for kids (eggs to go with freshly made coffee cake) and get mad at more photo mats ROFL.

Peanut is her name

It may be interesting if she becomes a 1500 pound cow named Peanut, but she received her name this morning. She drinks her bottles well and is growing. I don't have a new weight for her as Izzy (sheep) ate the cord to the Wii sensor bar last night, so we no longer have an available scale. Still no idea how she got ahold of the cord, but she did and even though we put the cord back together, the drop from up by tv onto bare concrete did in the sensor.

She is doing better

Calfy is becoming a pain. She no longer sleeps near as much as she did and is always looking for new things to suck on while wandering. She does still sleep a lot, not back to normal, but it is good she is becoming harder to keep content in her small area. It is only about 8x8, so she can't really run (hasn't tried yet either).

She is also mooing more now. All good signs and making me much more excited for the day she can go back out to the barn. Kids are working on designing a new heated "crate" for her and Izzy to live in once they go back outside.

Right now, she is not going to be able to stand up to the elements. My friend is helping me make her a larger blanket/coat that she will wear and Izzy will be getting one too. Calfy's favorite place to stand is still in front of the fire. The grate is there to be sure she doesn't get too close to the glass and singe her fur.

I think we have turned the corner

Calfy is still not where we would like a calf of her age to be (1 week and 1 day), but she now vigorously eats her bottles, three times a day, and lays down without falling 99% of the time now. She if finally figuring to bend her knees!!

She is starting to fill out, though is still extremely thin, but no longer as gant looking and wants to eat. Now if we can get her interested in hay and pellets (a pressed feed with grain and other nutrients).

The dogs, Brigetta here, have become more helpful now as calfy eats her entire bottle, but they lick her chin for her (as well as any drops off the ground). She seems to enjoy their licking after her bottle and it sure calms her down quicker than anything else we have tried, as she now wants more when her bottle is completely gone. She is being slowly bumped up on feed, but we do not want her to get scours (calf diareha) so she has one more day before she gets another increase in milk.

Calfy still improving

She is very slow with improvement, but she gets up and down without assistance much better now than ever before. She is finally figuring out to bend her knees rather than try to sit with her back end first like a dog.

Calfy drinks her bottles on her own, though not quite right yet. It still takes about 20 minutes for her to drink a quart, though she no longer makes near the mess she was making when drinking on her own. We haven't gotten her to take more than 2.5 quarts in a day yet, but hopefully, soon, she will grown enough so we can get her up to 4 quarts a day. She is still right around 60 pounds, so at 2.5 quarts - she is drinking right around 5 lbs of nourishment a day - on the low end of recommended, but within the 4.8-6 lbs per day recommended at her age/weight.

So far, no interest in hay or other feeds, but they are still offered. It will be good for her when she figures out her water bucket, feed, and hay.

Continued progress

She drank her entire bottle by herself this morning!! Took 1/2 hour, but she did it on her own :) :) :)

Then she laid back down (by herself without falling - that is another improvement) and looks as if she will now nap for a while.

She has her days and nights a bit mixed up (or maybe this is normal). She thinks 1-5 a.m. are the times she should be awake and moving (if she was with her own mom, I wouldn't care nearly as much)! However, hopefully we will continue to see improvement. Once she is on a bottle - fully on her own, and able to maintain her body temperature without assistance, we can move her outside (she will still have to wear a blanket and remain in heated enclosure, but out of my house would be good) :).

A little better

Calfy drank her entire quart on her own!! She is still a pretty messy eater - she doesn't hold her tongue quite straight yet, but it is getting better. Hopefully, she will get the hang of eating on her own soon and then she can be a bottle baby that the kids can help feed.

DD does a wonderful job of petting/massaging the baby calf to encourage her eating and rubbing her the right way encourages the calf to do her business as well.

Below is a picture of Izzy sleeping with the calf. Calfy likes the other animals with her or lying down next to the stove - the noise helps her relax better than any tv channel we get. (actually, everyone is pretty tired of the tv being on these days).

Calfy is still going

She didn't want to nurse much this morning, so we had to tube her again. However, between 2 and 5 am, she was very active and walking around, so hopefully she will feel more active later on today and feel like nursing.

She is asleep again - she notices slight temperature changes, so we have an additional blanket for her this morning. It was -14 when I was outside, so the basement is a bit colder than normal.

Well - her is hoping that she soon feels like walking around and acting like other baby calves soon.

A big hurdle passed?

Calfy drank her entire 9:30 pm feeding on her own!!! That brings her total up to an entire bottle into her today - 1/3 of which was completely on her own :) :) :)

Let's hope this continues with her next feeding as well. Less time for scrapping this evening - she wants to be up and walking - which is good, but means we have to keep a pretty close eye on things (there is one portion that is on raw concrete/off her cow mat that is slippery for her to walk on).

She is still wearing her Udder Tech blanket :)

Calfy is still going

She needs to be watched (basically because she is indoors). She is more stable when she walks and is doing her "duties" with regularity. She has been trying to figure out nursing/sucking, but hasn't returned to full understanding.

She sleeps about 18-20 hours per day, approximately 2 hours at a time. This past time, she got up, did her thing, then wanted to suck on anything nearby. I worked with her for about 20 minutes with two different bottle nipples, but she only took in 2 ounces. So, it was a feeding tube again. Hopefully, by continually working every time she gets up, we can get her to either nurse from a bottle, or even just slurp everything up out of a bucket.

Though she is inside, she still needs a blanket when sleeping - otherwise she starts to get cold and shiver. So, we keep going, one day at a time.

The Wii fit that was a Christmas gift has been coming in handy to help us track her weight. (however, she is listed as a little dog on the screen :))

On a good/positive note - I have had more time to work on swaps. I have a few completed. If you do scrapbook swaps over at scrapbookingfun.biz, and want to be surprised, don't scroll any further :). The images are not exact - the one for the Christmas Past is my copy - I didn't like the glimmer mist on the edges, or the background being that large and distressed, so the actual ones coming out are a bit different (and have one more piece). The others are from the Love Bandit Swap and it is just a sample set of pages. They all vary just a bit.

Just keep going

Not sure - calf keeps getting up and walking around. She does her business but will not nurse. We had to use a feeding tube again - I don't like using, but if she won't eat with another method - not sure what else to try. She doesn't want to slurp out of a bucket either.

She looks a smidge better this morning, so we will see.

Current weight: 61 pounds (our calves usually weigh between 90 and 110 when they are born)

Still living

Well - we had to tube feed the calf this morning. She still gets up and walks around, but does not want to nurse anymore (started last night). Her temperature is exactly what it should be, so now we do whatever we can to encourage her to keep on going. We are pretty sure she was born too early now, so it is just tlc. She did start to moo last night - only the second time she has made any noise (first time was outside).