New (new to me) site for supplies

Hello dear friends,
The fabulous Collage Contessa has joined the design team for Red Lead. She's posted some wonderful ideas for Christmas using various papers and stamps from Red Lead. I'd never heard of the store, still being new at this I'm not surprised! ha ha ha

But...it's wonderful. They've a great variety and their prices are really good! Please visit both the store and Kris' site to see her beautiful creations.

Best wishes and high hopes to you all,
Jennie, the pretty pooches and Mr. Wicky

Fun Finds and Ticks

Happy Sunday dear friends,

I hope you've all had a wonderfully restful weekend. I've been busy scanning family pictures, creating some collage pieces and catching up on my naps! A few weekends ago I found something I've wanted for so long and envied when I see it in other's crafts - a vintage ledger. It's full of beautiful script with details about various businesses and well aged blank pages. It's a treasure that I keep flipping through and imagining all of the lovely things that can be done with it.

I also found some beautiful crocheted blue lace, an old book from the 30's that lists property and taxes for the state of Kansas, an unused brass photo compact and a juice glass that's name has escaped me. Mom collects these and anytime I find one for less than $5.00 I grab it for her. Sweet Mother of Pekingese...why can't I remember the name. Oh well!

I need to take some photos of the various collages I've been making. I'm really proud and have found something I truly love doing. I was inspired by Michelle Caplan's art featured in the May-June Somerset Studio. I love the idea of taking photos and incorporating them with other bits and images. Visit her site - she's amazing! www.michellecaplan.com

Yesterday was briefly traumatic. For those of you who don't know, I've had dogs for more than 30 years. I've experienced so many situations, injuries and illness with them. But I have never, ever dealt with a tick. Never. I pray I never have to again. I showered and dried my hair and when I walked into the den, there was precious Sandy, bleeding terribly from her head. Since she's blond it was very obvious and I searched and searched to find the source of the bleeding. She had this hard ugly monster attached that I couldn't remove so I rushed her to the emergency room. 10 minutes later they brought my beloved back and explained it was a partially engorged (is there a grosser word?) dog tick. It had managed to embed itself so far under her skin that when they removed it she lost a large piece of skin and had a hole the size of a pencil eraser on her head. The vet was surprised by the injury and didn't make me feel like an idiot for bringing her in because of a tick.

My little Sandy, a Hurricane Ike survivor, heartworms survivor and now tick survivor. It has healed well already though they had to shave her head some to treat the wound so she has a little bald spot. Needless to say, the yard is getting sprayed and the dogs shaved. I hope I never have to see a tick again...blech!

Below is a picture of a dog tick. I always thought ticks were brown or black and little. Boy was I wrong!

So...are you itchy now from reading this? ha ha ha

Best wishes and high hopes to each of you,

Jennie, the pretty pooches and Mr. Wicky.

Pink Saturday - Pink Sunsets

The calm of the air before a storm and the silence that seems to envelope the world during sunsets - I love those moments. It may sound strange, but I will stand in my backyard, raise my hands to the heavens and breathe deeply; in that moment I feel centered and truly a part of the universe. I can feel God, I can feel love, I can feel strength and I can feel hope. Such powerful and strange moments that I treasure.

I found these images online and just knew that I needed to start my Saturday with images of pink sunsets. After you look at them, close your eyes and recall a sunset that you've treasured. A time of great peace, romance or laughter spent under the final rays of the day.

Best wishes and high hopes to all of you,

Jennie, the pretty pooches and Mr. Wicky

Mr. Wicky

Hi friends!


Well, I seem to have a new tenant on my land-a Texas Spiny Lizard.. I've named him Mr. Wicky. I noticed him about a week or so ago and it appears that he's made himself at home. He darts back and forth from my shed to the crepe myrtle. He's rather handsome and getting pretty docile around me.






I think I'm in love.

Best wishes and high hopes to you,
Jennie, the pretty pooches and Mr. Wicky

Pink Saturday - Pink Hats

Hello and happy Pink Saturday dear friends!

I thought this week would be a great time to celebrate pink hats! Why? Why not!

Now, since I live in Texas I couldn't begin this without a pink cowboy hat; a necessity for any junque fanatic and well, just rootin tootin fun to wear!

While I live in Texas, I'm a true Southern Belle at heart. Having been raised in Tennessee I can assure you that while Texas is in the south....it ain't the South! People down here think everything has to have a jalapeno pepper in it and NO ONE knows how to make true cornbread and try finding a hush puppy somewhere other than Long John Silvers. My gracious!

As a true Southerner I was raised among aunties that believed in silver patterns, red nails, white gloves, lipstick...always, high heels and lovely manners. While I didn't wear hats all that often - except for that strange phase during junior high - it was always a treat to wear one on Easter Sunday. Something like this would have found it's way onto my head...

Today, I still love the preciousness of a fancy hat with tulle and millinery. And while I wish I were the kind of woman that could carry off such hats as these:

but these days a pink Phillies ball cap is more my speed...(modeled by the normally camera shy Peanut Butter.)

Best wishes and high hopes to you all,

Jennie and the pretty pooches