The Winner is....

Cyn of Cynzplace Blog!

A new follower!!  Got to love the old and new!

Thank you for all that entered my giveaway.  You know it goes without saying I would love to give one to everyone that took the time to enter and post on their side bar.

So with that being said I decide to have a second winner...

Carol Stuck of www.buttermilkcreekfarm.blogspot.com.

You will be receiving a set of magnets and a hanger that I have been working on.

Please send your addresses to me at Barbsheartstroke@gmail.com and I will get these prizes in the mail to you ASAP!

Thank you to all that participated!

Enjoy your weekend.

Barb



Giveaway Reminder

Just a quick reminder if you have not had a chance to sign up for my giveaway click HERE!

Now what am I doing on my Birthday you ask?

Jazz at 5am-class manager

laundry

helping hubby and son pack for camping tonight

painting siding for the front of the house

mopping the floor

cleaning the bathrooms

harvesting the peas

receiving calls from my parents and seven siblings

hopefully painting sunflowers to list on Etsy soon

and

maybe going out to eat with my daughter!

I guess when you hit this age it is just another day your glad to be breathing!

Enjoy your day!

Barb

D-Day Remembered

June 6, 1944

I am a reader!  What I read is about WWII.  I am not sure how it all started but I have found that time period fascinating.  I wonder if it has anything to do with living next door to our neighbors who came from Germany.  They told some stories of their survival living under the Nazi Occupation and it was fairly frightening to a pre-teen.

What is it in people that makes them survive? 

 What makes people join in on a fight? 

After reading many books about the war, the strategies, the people involved, the people of the Holocaust, the POW's caught on both sides of the war I just cannot get my mind around the survival instinct.  I can understand the Patriotism but there has to be more....

Would I survive...I highly doubt it.

I do not think I have what it takes.

Would I join in on the fight?

So this is fascinating to me.  

So in honor of all those who have fought the fight and those who have survive I am in awe of you!

With that being said I am having a Patriotic Giveaway!!

This 3-D star is my way of showing my patriotism (and it doesn't hurt nor do I have to survive, except living in my car, and kids who need to be here and there)!

It is a  7 1/4 inch Rusty 3-Dimensional Prim style Puffy Star hand painted in a patriotic theme. It has a rusty wire for hanging. It measures 7 ¼ inches from tip to tip (not including the hanger). Raffia and a bit of cloth is tied on the top.

The Rules:

Be a follower of this blog.

Leave a comment.

That is it!

I will pick the winner on June 15th-my birthday!

I will announce it on the 16th.

Anyone who has served our country is a star and there are many out there. 

(Especially my Husband!) 

I am and will always be in AWE!!

Thank you for helping me remember D-Day!

Enjoy,

Barb



The OFG Team is at it Again!!

SUMMER TIME CELEBRATION 

is under way and you will need to check out all the creative items that members of the team have come up with to help you celebrate Summer.  Click here to take you right to the Etsy pages or type in STCOFG in the search bar.

I will be sharing some of the wonderful creations here.  But I will start out with what I created for this celebration.

Some patriotic!

Some just fun...this reminds me of all the hours my cousins and I would spend on my Grands' Swing!

All the fun parades we go to in the summer time.  Our little city, here in Utah, puts on a Fabulous July 4th Parade!!  Even though it is held on the 3rd!!  Tons of candy, t-shirts, coupons for local businesses, and even my favorite the Chick-Fil-A Cow!  What a hoot!

What are your favorite things about summer?

Enjoy!

Barb

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

I happened to be at a Provo craft store years ago when I saw that they were clearing out all these wood shapes. So thinking I could do something with them I bought cases of them and took them home to Las Vegas. Then they sat…were they bears? Were they aliens? What were they? (Think of naked wood critter holding a shovel.)  So there they sat in a closet.

(Thanks to Beth Ann for this photo)

Her blog is found here.

Then one day my husband said something about only being a second generation American. His family immigrating from Canada and I got it in my head that Canadians were called Frogs. ( I hope this doesn’t offend anyone and he happens to be Irish-Canadian). Then it hit me that these wood shapes were frogs or toads!  Because my family has been in America forever these toads became “Toad’ly American”.

I designed my first pattern for the wood shape and then for the framed black screen.  It was kind of a joke but not…anyway to make it even more interesting I was chosen to teach this pattern in the frame at a national painting convention. There in the front row of my class were about 6-7 Japanese women that had flown to this convention from Japan and spoke no English. I was a bit surprised but delighted that they were interested enough to take my class. I think they were there more for the technique then the actually pattern. They were all very sweet. I would love to know what they did with that art when they got home.

Next thing I know I am painting toads and flags every were!!

I then learned there were loads of people that love toads and frogs and got quite a few requests to do more designs hence the “Toad’ly” pattern series was born.  Please see them all at my Etsy store.

So to all the “Toad’ly Americans” have a safe and happy holiday!!
Enjoy!!