Eagle Watching

Harriet and E9

I have become obsessed with eagle watching.  I saw on the news the video that took the internet by storm of the eagle pair that was hatching 2 eggs in Naples, Florida.  Of course, I had to watch it. Then I went to the site, which has streaming video.  And I was watching when the first little guy (E9) pipped the egg and finally hatched.  And my heart was stolen. Sadly, the 2nd egg didn't hatch, but that doesn't stop the eagle family from sitting on it.  This nest is on private property and the property owner bore the expense of putting up the cameras for our enjoyment and enlightenment.

E9 leaning on the unhatched egg

I have learned a lot about eagles. For instance, did you know Bald Eagles are not buried.  Instead, their bodies are sent to the National Eagle Repository in Colorado. It's purpose is to provide a central location for the receipt, storage, and distribution of bald and golden eagles that are found dead, and their parts. The eagles, and their parts, are shipped to qualified Native Americans for use in religious Native American ceremonies.

E9 gets fed

They are majestic birds, for sure.  And they are great parents.  The eagles on the nest I'm watching are named Harriet and M15 and the baby is E9.  Harriet used to have a mate named Ozzie (the name given to them by the people in the neighborhood when they first appeared. But because they are wild animals and not "pets", when Ozzie passed away it was decided not to give them names.  So M15 is so named because he is a male who appeared at the nest in 2015, and E9 is Eaglet 9 who has hatched.

There is another nest in northeast Florida, which is overseen by the American Eagle Foundation.  The eagle parents there are named Romeo and Juliet, and there is currently a contest to name the 2 babies at that nest.  They are about 10 days older than E9, and there is a huge difference in size and development.

Juliet with the baby eaglets

There are other eagle cams across the United States, and a quick Google search will help you find them. I encourage you to visit today.

Flicking and Flinging Fun

What in the world?

I had so much fun making these cards.  I'm not much of a flower person, and I can't tell a begonia from a petunia (well, maybe I'm not THAT bad), so to be able to add dibs and dabs of color was perfect for me.

Here are a couple of my creations. Sorry they aren't straight, but I wasn't feeling well when I took the pictures.

These cards are very easy to make.  This blog has all the information (including videos) that you need to create your own flower masterpiece.  I did watch the video to see how in the world she got the long stems, and it was well worth the time spent.

This one resembles poppies, I think.  Or a field of some kind of red flowers.   I just started with watercolor paper and watercolored a basic background of blue sky and green grass.  After that was dry, then the fun began.  Now, this is a messy process, so be aware of that before you start.  But anyone who knows me knows that I'm not afraid to get dirty making art. I have a little 3 sided box that I put stuff in that catches overspray, etc., and it was put to use making these cards. 

Once your background is dry, get out several shades of green acrylic paint.  I had 2 shades of green, and made a 3rd shade by adding a little white to the darkest.  Then start flicking the acrylic paint from your paintbrush onto the watercolor paper.  If you use the brush to flick the paint off your finger, you will get the long stems.  That's what I called flinging.  :-)  It doesn't take long for the acrylic paint to dry.

When that was dry I then added my flowers and flicked a little bit of that color onto the bottom part of the card as well.  Looks like a windy day with leaves and petals blowing around.  :-)  

I had so much fun, I made about 6 or 8 of these cards. Of course, every one is different, and every one had different colored or multicolored flowers. And they can be used for a multitude of occasions.

I hope you try this, and I hope you have fun.  I will definitely do this again.  Soon.

Inky hugs,

Hug A Heart Card Drive 2017

Hello, everyone! Thanks for stopping by!

You are cordially invited to participate in the

2017 Hug a Heart Card Drive!

February is American Heart Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about congenital and acquired heart disease. Many patients do not realize they have heart disease, even those who are born with defects called congenital heart disease. The Heart Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital cares for many patients with various forms of heart disease. American Heart Month is a great time to raise awareness, to promote healthy habits AND ESPECIALLY, to lift the spirits of these patients who are hospitalized and need major heart surgery or are having a particularly tough time.For information about “Congenital heart disease (CHD) please see Christina's Blog.

We are asking for your help PLEASE.

AND

Christina Hor is offering some wonderful prizes! 



Each card you make will bring heartwarming encouragement to those who are affected by heart disease – 
both patients and families.

What you can do--

Cards you donate will not only brighten a heart patient’s day during 
Heart Month, but will positively impact that child’s life by letting them know that someone cares deeply about what is happening to them.

Card guidelines are listed below.  Thank you so much for your generosity and gift of encouraging and supportive cards!  

WHEN TO SEND IN YOUR CARDS:   This card drive ends on February 14, 2017. Please have your cards to Christina by February 14th.

Prizes are being offered for making the cards! 

To thank you for your participation and generous gift of cards, Christina Hor has several prize packages. To be considered for the prize drawings, please see details below.

       Prize Package #1 (all participants) – everyone who sends cards will receive a freebie of Christina's Heart Panda digi and the pretty Sentiment:

Prize Package #2 (U.S. participants only) – to two random winners, a box of brand new craft goodies, each valued at $25.

Prize Package #3 (International participants only) - to two random winners, a $25 gift certificate to shop at Simon Says Stamp.

Platinum package (U.S. and International): to ONE participant with the MOST donated cards (30+cards), a $50 gift certificate to Simon Says Stamps.

IMPORTANT GUIDELINES FOR CARD DONATIONS

Hug a Heart Card Drive is open to both U.S. and International participants. All age groups are encouraged to make the cards. 

• Card drive runs from 1/16/17 to 2/14/17.
• Card Types: handmade cheerful “heart” theme (non-Valentine’s Day) cards such as Thinking of You, Hello, or Just Because cards for children between ages of 1 to 19.  As long there are hearts on the cards, it counts.
• Greetings (Sentiments) on your card-front is optional.  But if you do include one, here are some suggestions: sending hugs, sending smiles, thinking of you, wishing you a beautiful day, or hello. NO Valentine’s Day greetings please.
• Inside of cards: Please do not stamp or write inside the card.  Keep it completely blank so hospital staff may write a personal message to each patient.  If using a dark colored card base, please adhere a white or light colored piece of cardstock to the inside of card to make it easier for patients to read the hand-written message.
• Card size: A2 size card (finished 4.25”x5.5”). 
• Back of cards: This is completely optional.  You may include a label “handmade by + your name + Hug a Heart Card Drive 2017” to the back of your card. It can be a hand-written, stamped or small computer printout label.
• Envelopes: Please include an envelope for each card. Do NOT seal envelopes.
• PLEASE do NOT use loose glitter, as young children will get this in their eyes.
• Please use embellishments minimally, if at all, and avoid using anything unsafe for very young children.
• Please package your cards in a box or padded envelope to ensure they arrive undamaged...
• Mail your box/package to: Christina Hor, P.O. Box 517, Dublin, Ohio 43017
• To be eligible for the drawings, please include your full name, email address and mailing address in a note with your cardsso that Christina may acknowledge your cards and enter you for the prizes.
• Optional – if you would like to help spread the words about Hug a Heart card drive, please use hashtag #hugaheartcarddrive when sharing your project on social media. 
• Questions and more clarification about the card drive?  Please don’t hesitate to contact Christina directly at info@christinahordesigns.com.

Please share the message with others about the Hug A Heart Card Drive, and brighten a heart patient's day this February during Heart Month. Grab the banner from my blog and display it on your own blog 
or share it on social media
#hugaheartcarddrive.
Thank you!

On February 1, we will have a reminder blog hop with prizes!

I hope you can join us in this worthy endeavor.

ATC Challenge for Cardz 4 Galz

Good afternoon, and a Happy New Year 2017!

My friend, Donna, urged me to enter the Cardz 4 Galz ATC challenge.  Since I love to make and give away my ATC's, and I am tired of working on Christmas cards, I decided to make some of those cute little cards.  They are my favorite thing to make, I think.

Here is the fruit of my labors:

You can click on the image for a closer/larger look.  I had some backgrounds that I had made with my gel plate, and they made the perfect backdrop for the cards.  Most of the stamps used were Dyan Reavely stamps.  The flowers were die cut from other backgrounds that I had made, and the butterflies were punched from the waste, so nothing was really wasted.    I used some of the Nuevo Crystal Drops for texture and the flower centers.  

As some of you know, I give these to my favorite waitresses with their tip, and they look forward to receiving them to see what I have come up with.

So, that's my entry for the Cardz 4 Galz ATC challenge.

I'm hoping we get some cooler temps soon.  We had a record 86 degree day on Tuesday. That's just not right for January.  

 Inky hugs!