SUZAN BUCKNER

OK!! I SWEAR that this is IT--LOL--no more till I have done my antique responsibilities...I promise...LOL (crossing fingers)...This is my challenge for INSPIRE ME THURSDAY challenge. The challenge was "Fun and Games".

I am sooooooo going to hate myself tomorrow--for playing all day, and not working on getting things done. I have to price, wrap, and package hundreds of collectibles, and antiques, and here I sit...feeding my addiction of glue and paper..LOL.

Here's my ARTWORDS weekly challenge--Cupcake. I hand-painted everything except the butterflies, the words, and the little girl.

This is my Wednesday Stamper challenge--the challenge is BLUE. The background is made with airbrush liquid acrylics, stamped with paint, and Stay-On ink. I used foam stamps, a Stamping Up flower,and a Swirly stamp. For the eye piece, I used the end of my pen for a stamp.

This is my 4 X 4 Friday challenge--Women
Hope you all don't mind me putting them together!

This is my challenge for TMTA--metal. I used a tiny bit of foil in the corner, and metallic gold marker (doesn't show up that well).

This is my weekly challenge for the new site Gothic Arch. The challenge was school. I don't like it--it's not right, but here it is....LOL.. ***sigh.

These are two 4 1/2 X 6 1/2 pieces that I did on canvas paper. (Which I am totally addicted to now!). The first one with the witch, has ribbons tied in the corner.
I was going to do more with this one--but decided that I liked it as it was.

I have had a completely artsy Saturday, and it has been a joy!!! I hope you all are having wonderful weekends!!

This is done on a piece of canvas--

This is my weekly challenge for Daring Card Makers. The challenge was Buttons. I made my card out of a handmade background--using stamping in ink, and paint, collage elements, and an Dolly Dingle paper doll. I mounted the center of the card to some Fiskars cardstock, and outlined it with a gold paint pen. I then added a small button to decorate her dress.

This is my Illustration Friday challenge. The challenge is VISTORS. I thought of the military. Everywhere they go--they are visitors. (Notice the Gothic Arch shape--getting ready for the new challenge site...lol.)

I bet you all can guess what it is...LOL..

While most people sleep...I am up, and drawing doo-dads on a little tag--LOL..I need a life!

Good Afternoon/Morning--I just crawled out of bed, and have no time--since I overslept...I added a couple of things for your enjoyment to my sidebar. First was the Jack Handy scrolling thingie. He is so funny, so..if you need a laugh--go to the link, and read away.

Next, there's a new challenge site starting on Sunday, August 26th. It's called Gothic Arches (which is just a shape--it's not "goth" per say). It is being run by Belinda Schneider of Bel's Nook, and the site gives you a template to work from. It sounds like fun for us challenge addicts (I am assuming that I am not the only one out here!!).

Also--On my challenges list--I put all pictures in where there use to be words--and listed them in the order of the day of the week that they are on--Sunday, Monday, Tuesday....etc...

So, that is all for now--everyone have a happy, artistic day!!

This is my Wednesday Stamper Week 2 Challenge--Stitch. But scroll down--there's a bit of a surprise with this one. I drew the "stitches" on with a paint pen (since I am sewing challenged!).
All you have to do is unfold the body parts, and this is what you get--

Today, my friend Lana came over, and we had a Halloween Art Day! It was great fun!! She brought me 3 ATC's that she had done (for a trade)--The first one is so pretty!! It has the neatest folded paper vase, and gorgeous flowers!!
The next one is MAGNIFICENT!! Such wonderful stitching--(which I am envious of--since, I do not even know how to turn a sewing machine on!!) The butterfly is made of fabric too!!
The third one is so much better than this picture!! It actually has a "jar", complete with clear covering. It also has green dots inside, and tiny little fireflies. It GLOWS IN THE DARK!! (which my husband and I amused ourselves with, as soon as it got dark outside!--LOL)
These were soooooooo wonderful!! (She's probably going to kill me for showing the world..lol)
Then she made us both some book pages!! They are so nice!! She even left a margin for punching our holes in and putting it together when we are done! These are my pages so far...(I still have to add to all of them--but this is what I got done today!) They measure 5 X 5 inches. I made the background on this one. Stamped white writing, black little ghost, and then highlighted with my faithful Sharpie Paint Pen.

This week's Think Monday-Think ATC challenge is MUSIC. I made this card--and it says "My idea is that there is music in the air, music all around us, the world is full of it and you simply take as much as you require."

I won this weeks Monday Artday for my "Chemistry" entry. Thank you!!

This is my Artwords Weekly Challenge--the challenge is Storyteller. It also has use of watercolor sticks in it, so I am using it for my Inspire Me Thursday Challenge--which is watercolors.

I was going to make a paper doll--while I was thinking of how to make it, I took an image of Halloween gourds from a Martha Stewart Living Magazine, and glued it on a book cover. Well--this is my paper doll, which ended up on Martha's gourds--after about 4 layers, much sanding, a lot of painting (watercolor sticks, gesso, and fluid acrylics)...this is it.

Today, I went to my friend Sandy's antique store to do some painting appraisals for her. Of course, I had no clue what I was doing--and she soon figured that out---LOL..She has bought an estate, and in this very old wooden box was this very, very old poster--The kind with illustration that makes you drool--so old, and yet the colors are SO INTENSE...The only problem was, it was in 5 pieces...the edges were torn, it had rips in it. WHAT A BLESSING!! Sandy gave it to me--and I am in HEAVEN!! (WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE WHAT I AM DOING WITH THE OTHER 4 pieces!!!!!!) Anyway--I brought them home, and immediately glued them down to save them.

I later picked up this piece(the ducks and turkeys), which I had glued to a cover of an old book. I started adding to it. I love where this piece is going! So, I thought I would share. It is far from being completed--but the ideas are swirling!! It is 6 x 9 1/2 inches. Look at the man's face! His expression and wide eyes are priceless!! I love him!!LOL...Hope you enjoy!

Lookie!! I won this from the fabulous Jo Capper-Sandon, and it arrived from the U.K. today!! I just LOVEEEEEEEEE it!!! The top one is actually the one I won, and the bottom is a Moo card (is that right?)...I love them both. Jo has a blog, called Jo Blogs, and does some great art pieces. Make sure you hop over there, and tell her how JEALOUS you are, that I have this and you don't ....***snicker...Tell her also, she needs to send me more of them (all different of course!)...LOL... THANK YOU JO!!!!

I finally did something that wasn't a "challenge"--don't faint!LOL... It's a 9 X 12 inch canvas--so it was hard to get a good picture.

These are my two new journal pages--bleeeeckkkk (gagging sound)---LOL..

This is a new Challenge site that I joined--It's called Monday Artday, and the challenge was "Chemistry".

This weeks Think Monday--Think ATC challenge is NUMBERS. I did two cards--the first one has layers and layers of numbers. The second one--I was thinking of the child's game GO FISH....

This is Daring Card Makers Mid-week Challenge. They supplied a template, and you had to use it. The template was 3 wavy thick lines, and a square with a circle in it.

I did this one on a silver colored wire frame that I picked up while thrifting. The curly wire was already on it. I painted white checks on it, and distressed it with pink ink. I went over the loops with white, and lightly sprinkled glitter on it. I collaged right onto the glass.

I saw on another blog the other day someone had altered big dominos, and then on another blog--I saw this man that made a little oriental book out of two of them (ATCs with Zest), so I decided to try some small ones! So, here are my first attempts!! They are so quick and fun to make!! I took the domino, and brushed some Modge Podge all over, then covered them in colored tissue paper, added the white accents on the little boy, added my images and words, then brushed Modge Podge all over. I really liked making them!! You can click on them to get a bigger picture.

This is the second piece that I got done in the last 2 days--but, I need your help. What words should I use??? Suggestions are welcome!! Thanks!!

Hello!! Wednesday, my husband had 2 final exams (He's a junior in college at 59 years of age), I drove him to the college, and went out thrifting while he was in there...then, Thursday--my blog got sick--and I spent all day fixing it. I had to go through all the virus scans, scan disk, etc..and all of my wonderful programs that I run...couldn't find a virus--still NO BLOG...As a last ditch effort, I changed my template..and VIOLA!!! It was fixed. Then today, back to the college for another exam, and some more thrifting, and a trip to Micheal's, and to two antique stores!! I will write about all that I bought shortly--got something that has to be done tonight...but I will do it!!

In the middle of all this running, and while waiting for the computer to run it's scans--I did two new pieces...the other one isn't quite done yet...but this is one of them. Hope you like it!!

I can't get it to load. This is just a test.

Wow!! There is an outpour of supporters that can't "DO" glitter either!! I am so happy not to be sitting alone with my pink glittery stuff!!! Maybe we need a support group--a 12 step program for non-glitterers...ummmm...I admit that I am powerless over pink glitter....LOL...(note--NOT making fun of the 12 step programs out there, just making fun of my glitter problem.)

Another WOW!! Today's quotes on my sidebar are all awesome at the same time!!An original artist is unable to copy. So he has only to copy in order to be original.Jean Cocteau , I don't feel old. I don't feel anything till noon. That's when it's time for my nap.Bob Hope and the word of the day is "disheveled"....ROFL...OMG!!! These 3 are SOOOOO ME!! Anyone that knows me--KNOWS I take a nap every day!!(I get so irritable in the afternoon, that many days the husband says "why don't you take a nap??")...LOL...and if you all could see my living room right now, you would definitely say DISHEVELED...disheveled in the way that a tornado dishevels something...LOL...Last night, my husband drug in everything that I bought yesterday, out of the car and put it in the living room...LOL...oh my!! You all would be screaming "STOP DOING ART, AND CLEAN YOUR LIVING ROOM WOMAN!!"LOL..There is stuff piled on stuff, piled on stuff...etc..yesterday, I bought about 20 HUGE books--and of course, I have all of my art books scattered everywhere, and there are Stampington magazines thrown here and there...There's about 10 large crates full of stuff to sell---LOL..and I know that at one time, I had a coffee table in front of my couch--but now it's just a pile of stuff to be priced, and put into MORE crates...LOL...I have been on a buying binge for about a month now, and of course--I rather be doing art challenges than pricing stuff for the Antique and Collectible side of my life...LOL...(which I would completely get out of ---if I didn't need to do it to support my Art side of life....) Then there is SHE WHO KNOWS EVERYTHING's stuff, which has been sitting in my living room for 3 weeks...LOL....We just don't have enough room!!! A 3 bedroom house with a huge kitchen, and large formal dining room (which holds all the BIG stuff that I sell)...isn't big enough for 2 people, and ART...***sigh...guessing that the husband might have to go live on the porch with Petey The Spoiled Rotten Wonderdog...ROFL....JUST JOKING HONEY!!! Honey...please stop throwing my art supplies out in the front yard...honey????HONEY?????? lol...(he doesn't have to go to the porch...I WAS kidding)...Maybe if he would just move his clothes out of his closet...that would give me a BIT more room...I bought like a woman posessed yesterday!! OMG!! Everything was Cheap, Cheap, Cheap--so of course, I had to buy it ALL...LOL...I really am not THRIFTY in the amount of money that I spend---only what I pay for things--I may buy 100 items--but if I have to pay more than a couple of dollars per an item--I am just sick--and usually won't buy it...LOL..yesterday--I found a "going out of business" antique store (MY FAVORITE KIND OF SALE!!)...and got vintage hankies, vintage purses, books, vintage ceramic pieces and pottery, some wallpaper, a lot of paper roses, and SOME beautiful tiny fake birds!!!WOOHOOO...I can't resist. I have a sickness. Most antique dealers do.

One more thing--if you have not tried the new over the counter stuff called AIRBORNE--get some. Yes, it's expensive, but I think it works! I felt like I was getting sick the other day, and I took some...and I managed to skip right over the cold that I felt was coming on...I need to buy a truckload for SHE WHO KNOWS EVERYTHING--she works in a Day Care...and is always subjected to the worse stuff....

Ok..I have rambled enough...coffee is almost gone, and I am tired of sitting...I think I may go unshelvel my disshelved living room---***sigh.

DEAR MARTHA--

This is this week's ArtWords challenge--Internalize.

Well...I survived. For the last two days--I have braved the depths of retail malls, shopping with SHE WHO KNOWS EVERYTHING. It almost did me in. One, I HATE shopping retail--Two, I do not like crowds..(unless they are all a bunch of crazy artist/artsy types)...LOL. Sunday we went shopping on TAX FREE DAY (which I didn't know--because I don't shop)...Tax Free day is obviously the one day that you can buy retail without paying taxes...we went to a couple of little shops--no problem. Then S.W.K.E. (my daughter) wants to go to OLD NAVY....Oh My God!!! It was like someone opened a box of insanity, and it actually materialized...There were approximately 100-200 people in this medium sized store, and they were buying TONS of clothes. They were pulling, and ripping, and throwing things to the side. The poor kids working there looked as if they were stuck in a bomb shelter....and I am thinking--All of this for 7 cents on the dollar???? I am also thinking (as I stood there, afraid to move) that even if you bought $1000 of clothes--you are ONLY saving $70...so, I imagine not a lot of people are going to buy that many clothes, and if $70 dollars is going to break you--why the heck aren't you in Walmart, instead of O.N.????***sigh...Ok..so, I got through that...and then Monday rolls along, and S.W.K.E. wants to go to the MALL. I have been to the MALL-- ONE time in 6 years...this is my second trip...we go in..we have to ask where the plus sizes are in the first store. The woman tells us, and I blurt out "OH MY GOD--YA'LL HAVE EXILED THE FAT WOMEN!!!" The uppity little salewoman almost passed out!! She started stammering...couldn't speak..They had put the plus sized women's clothes in a far corner on ANOTHER floor. If you were a size 16 going in, they were gonna make sure that you were a 10-12 coming out (due to forced walking). In every store--the PLUS sizes were in some obscure area--far from the mainstream!!!! Now, ladies--I am a big girl--and I am sure that some of us are--We spend money. We have large size kids, who spend money--WHY ARE MY SIZES 3 MILES from the skinny clothes?????? ***sigh....well, we survived. We actually had fun!! She got her some jeans and some shirts, and I splurged and actually let her have 2 new pairs of shoes (which I normally REFUSE to buy, since she has somewhere in the range of 500 pairs)...so, she's happy, and this week I AM A GOOD MOM. It was all worth it, I suppose--to be a GOOD MOM for a week.LOL....(next week, I will probably return to being EVIL NAGGING MOM, but that's another story).

I woke up this morning, and 3 people have nominated me with the Nice Matters award!! (I think it's for mean people...hehehehhe...). Thank you SO MUCH to Pauline at Paru's Circle, Patti at My Treasure Barn, and Nita from Red Tin Heart!! Ya'll are GREAT!! (and don't really know how mean I am...LOL). But Thanks again girls, you are all too sweet!!

What color is your soul painted? Orange Your soul is painted the color orange, which embodies the characteristics of balance, heat, enthusiasm, flamboyance, playfulness, aggression, over-emotion, danger, desire, strengthens the ability to concentrate, attraction, adaptability, and stimulation. Orange falls under the element of Fire, and symbolizes glory and fruits of the earth. Click Here to Take This Quiz

Quizzes and Personality Tests

I missed my 100th post--this is #106...LOL..I thought about doing a giveaway--but I guess it's too late now! I have been blogging for 85 days, and completed 120 pieces of art (if you can call it that)--LOL..Five more days will be 3 months since I started this blog--maybe I blog too much!!!LOL

Here's this week's Inspire Me Thursday challenge--It is "Dear Diary"--

Salt is a new creative arts challenge blog. The center of the challenges are religion, and our faith in GOD. Their challenge this week is PRAISE. This is what I did--then I started playing with color and hues in PSP, and I came up with the bottom piece. Same piece--presented two different ways.

Hello!! This is the Daring Card Makers Mid-Week Challenge. We were to make a card that is ready in case we have to say "I'M SORRY".

I hope all of you at DCM don't think that I do not take these challenges seriously. I do consider DCM to be very important, and I love the challenges. It's just life that I do not take seriously! Thanks for your comments, and I can't wait to see everyone's card!!!

I got home last night, and I had been nominated for TWO awards!!! What a great surprise!! Nita from Red Tin Heart and Sabine from ArtWerk by frickelfee nominated me for the Rockin' Girl Blogger Award!!! I have to nominate 5 people more...LOL..oy!! Then, the wonderful Neda from Papiers Colle's nominated me for the Inspirational Blogger Award. You can read about it at Writer's Review. There are several awards to choose from, and you can pick any of those that you would like to nominate people for. So, A HUGE THANKS to these 3 ladies!!!! Ya'll really made my night!!!

Whew!! What a past couple of days I have had!!! Monday morning, I got up, and make two ATCs...and THEN...we had to get Petey the Wonderdog into the truck to FINALLY take him to the vet. This should have been easy, right????? WRONGGGGGG... My husband and I had our patooties kicked by a medium sized doggie. We pulled, pushed, coaxed, lifted, bribed, conjoled, whistled, and did everything else short of dancing a jig---just to get the dog in the back of the SUV. So, FINALLY we get him in, and he's shaking, and whining...and off we go. We get to the vet, carry him inside like he's a tiny little lap dog...and sit there holding him, and restraining him from eating all the little kitties that all the people were bringing through the door. (It must have been Kitty Day at the vets...lol). The doctor calls our name, we carry him in, and the doctor touches him, and he goes wild.....OK...they had to muzzle poor Petey...and wrote "BITES" in big red letters across his chart. LOL...We then got to leave.

Off to the car place we go, to get me new struts (shocks) and tires. The man at the tire place decides (thank God) that we didn't need to get struts, so we get new tires. He decides I need bigger tires, because I carry a lot of stuff around in my business (antiques)...so, we get into my husband's truck and go to lunch---go back, get the car, and off to get Petey. My very traumatized dog Petey. Husband picks him up, puts him in the truck, and off we go.

Well--we took Petey to the vet, so that he could become a house dog. Petey had other ideas...LOL..we open the truck, and THERE GOES PETEY...(did ya'll see that yellow blur go streaking by with a long blue leash attached???)Uh-uh...away he ran. ....LOL....later he came back, and crawled under the porch, and he WOULD NOT come out. Not for treats, Not for boiled deer meat, not for vanilla ice cream, nothing....he just sat there and stared at me with those accusing eyes, like I had betrayed him.

So, the good news is that Petey is really healthy, the bad news is--I spent 35 dollars getting him groomed, and he goes right back to his "sitting in the mud under the porch" self.***SIGH...

So, we rest a bit (after our Petey experience), and I then loaded (priced and wrapped) collectibles/antiques into 8 large containers for our weekend sale coming up--and then we went to bed early...THEN we get up at 4am, go on the long yard sale, shop, shop, shop...buy, buy, buy...and then we have to drive 2 hours to get over to where SHE THAT KNOWS EVERYTHING (my daughter) is meeting a realitor for a new apartment. I have now been 1)driving, and 2) out in the hot sun approximately 14 hours, and I want to go home. We get S.T.K.E. an apartment, and have an hour drive to get back home. I was exhausted!!

We get home (it's now about 8pm)--remember I left at 4 AM--and Petey has not touched his food. So, I have to go inside and cook him some deer meat, let it cool, and hoped he would eat it. (He still hasn't as much wagged his tail at me)...This dog is still mad at me!! LOL....is he mad at the husband???? Oh NO...just ME. (He better wise up and face WHO FEEDS HIS LITTLE UNGRATEFUL SELF...)LOL...

I got some cool things on the yard sale (and decided not to go back today)..among them was a BOX of German "scrap" sheets. THEY are beautiful!!! It has over 100 sheets in it!!! LOVEEEEEEEEE THEM!!!!!!! I also got about a hundred "items"...stuff for resale. OH!! And I got a 1920's(maybe 30's) magazine with the most beautiful pictures in it!!!I will show some of them later. I have to go buy Petey some food ...LOL..I need to change my blog title to My Life Waiting on Petey Hand and Foot...LOL..

Thank you again to the 3 ladies that thought that I was worthy of an award!!!!!!! They are GREAT!!!!!{{{{Big HUG}}}}}!!