More auction goodies

You never know what you will find in some of the junk lots at the auction houses. This past weekend I bid on two large junk lots, not something I normally do. These lots are a mish mash of several boxes of non-vintage items. (pillows, baskets etc...)  I make sure to dig through everything before I haul away want I don't want to keep.  Found this lock at the bottom of one of those dirty boxes.  The scale was in a large vintage metal lot and had some really cool stuff. I will post more photos later.  Still cleaning up everything.

Another Great Auction Find - printer's cabinet

One of the cool printer's storage unit I found at the auction house this weekend.  I'm guessing it's for numbers but I'm not really sure.  It has a measuring gauge on one side that has been craved into the wood.  It's very fun piece in excellent condition. I really hate to sell it off but bills have to be paid.

In the garden

It's that time of year again in my front yard.  All the bulb flowers are coming into bloom.  I didn't get a photo of the daffodils or tulips but here are the irises.  I love this time of year in my front yard.  Every week it's a different color, depending on what is blooming.  In about a month I will have to do a major clean up and trim everything back. I've planted more french lavender (which keeps it's bloom longer than spanish lavender) for our bees. 

Dog Park Buddy

I try  to take Annie to the dog park everyday after we've had our morning walk.  It's to socialize her to other dogs and learn to play well with others.  One of her good buddies is a 7 month old female rottie (center photo) named Jenna.  You can see that Annie at 4 months is almost the same size as Jenna. When we passed the kids park, Annie made a beeline for the play area.  Jenna followed her up the stairs and they thought about going down the slides - middle photo.  Annie worked the tunnels and stairs like a champ - bottom photo. 
I'm always looking for big bred dogs for Annie to play with so they can body slam and chew on each other.  Both girls are very calm by nature so their play never gets to rough.  After an hour at the dog park Annie is down for a long nap.  Time to get some things done around the house.

Not My Style - Tilda

Tonight is my "Cornflakes" (card swapping group) meeting and we are doing something different.  All of us think we know everyone's style and taste when it comes to card making.  Tonight we are going to try and guess who made what card.  To add to the fun we can make a card not in our usual style, just to mess with everyone's mind.  I'm not a fan of the Tilda stamp line (don't own any) so I had to hunt down a stamp to borrow.  If Tilda doesn't fake out the group (they all know I don't like it), then adding the big flowers will.  I'm not a big flower type of card makers.  The only clue I gave was the bee Tilda is holding.  I thought that could also be a double fake out.  Would I put a bee on my card or would someone else use it to make everyone think it was my card.  Update: Three people guessed what card I made.  They said it was because I used a stamp line I don't like.  I also found out no one else in the group owns a Tilda stamp either.  One person got 7 out of 9 cards right, which was really good. 

Teething

Annie is teething big time now.  If she's not asleep, she is chewing on something.  You can see the watercolor paper she was chewing on before I put a rawhide stick in her mouth.  I was getting very concerned about how big she is getting after meeting several "german shepherd" types at the park.  I called the family that I got her from (one good thing about getting your puppy from a home) and asked again about Annie's mom and dad.  They said that Annie's parents were both purebred GS and the dad (who had papers) was really BIG.  I guess the whole litter took after the dad as far as size and will all be very large. At 14 weeks, Annie now weighs over 35 pounds.  I'm very carefully about what she eats but if the charts are right, Annie could get as big as 140 pound!  One good thing is that she has her mom's temperment and will be a very gently dog.  Of course her tail will be able to knock over a small child or anything on a coffee table.

Happy Hedgehog and Friends Card

Another card for my Happy Hedgehogs and friends card class. What I liked about this Penny Black clear set is all the bees.  
I left the bottom of the image open so you could stamp whatever sentiment you want. I thought about stamp something but I like to give people in my classes a choice.

Iris Folding Card

I did a beginner Iris folding class this weekend.  I made this card sample using some Spring colors to show the students in class how they can change up the look.  It was also a good way to use up my scrap washi paper.
It was a good day at the dog park.  I found that going in the morning to be good time to meet nice dogs. Annie met a puppy rottweiler who is the same age and size.  It was so cute to see these big puppies bounce off each other and fall over their own big paws.

Alpha Male Story

I walk Annie 3X a day to help keep her normal puppy energy in check.  We have a really nice neigborhood park that we walk to.  I have Annie work out on the kid's stairs and tunnels, along with playing fetch with any sticks we find.  There is also a dog park a few blocks away that we've go to when we are feel brave.  It hasn't been a very good experience for Annie since she is youngest pup there. On our last visit, I noticed a man with a rottweiler puppy standing at the end of the dog park and I could tell he was practicing the "dog whisper".  I was at the water station with Annie (she likes to play in water) after she had a bad run in with some over excited older dogs. He came up to me and said "you need a alpha male".  Now what do you say to a strange man making a statement like that?  He took Annie from me and stood in the middle of the dog park with Annie.  Every dog that even thought of coming up to Annie took one look at this guy and turned around. After a bit, he let her off her leash and she was able to walk around and not get run over by the out of control dogs. Annie doesn't have a alpha male at home, but she does now at the dog park.
Annie likes to sleep on her back. I'm not sure if that's a puppy thing but it's funny to watch.  The door stop is one of her favorite things to bark at.  Not sure why but it keeps her entertained for hours.

Buttons and Paper Bending

Yes another class I will be doing at Cranberry Hill on Saturday April 17, 2010.  There will be a bonus project that you take home to do with this class.  I like the title paper bending because it's not really origami or quilling but you do have have bend the paper to get it into the shape you want.  Wonder if that would make a good crafting book title?

Simply Punch Card Class

I'm doing a simple punch card class in April at Cranberry Hill.  These are fast and simple cards using some of the punches we all have in our crafting stash.  The tentative date is Saturday April 17, 2010.

Wonderful Washi Paper Card Class

One of the classes I will be teaching at Cranberry Hill in April.  It's a simple card class that is great for beginners or people with a lot of washi paper scraps. Tentative date is Saturday April 17, 2010.  It's the same day as the San Jose Stamp Show so if you coming into town, stop on by.