Saying Goodbye to Summer...

The summer of 2016 has been a relatively peaceful one in the Green Family Craft Zoo.  Lacy Lulu has settled down and has become a delightful dog instead of a crazy psycho puppy.

Tux is still holding his own at 14.5 years old, although he is pretty much deaf now and only responds to sight commands. Thankfully he can still see pretty well! (And this, folks, is why it is crucial to teach hand signals simultaneously with the commands to sit, come, stay, etc!!!)

And Maggie...well, Miss Maggie still barks too much but she is also aging gracefully.

Actually Miss Maggie gave us quite the scare this summer.  An undetected insect bite sent us to the emergency vet with her. That was QUITE an infection!  She wore that soft cone of shame for weeks! And, the fur still hasn't completely grown back.  She currently looks like an ad for Target!

 

Summer has been good.  Bittersweet, though, to see it turn cooler and days getting shorter.  I wish I could just hold on to summer....make it last longer.  But, I can't.  So I will remain hopeful that the next several months will be kind to us in Chicagoland and spring will arrive at the expected time.

Let the Celebrating begin....with an ETSY sale!

Gorgeous spring day....Getting ready for the Memorial Day weekend with LOTS to celebrate!  Our remodeling project is showing light at the end of the (very) noisy tunnel....Ollie still has feathers....good medical test results...SO many birthday greetings today...SO much to celebrate!

And what better way to celebrate with all of you than to offer special sale prices in my ETSY shop!
ALL my original art dog, cat and wildlife note cards are 25% off!  WOW....

Take a peek..... www.sweetpetatoes.etsy.com 

Hint:
There's a lot more items in addition to the note cards (scrapbook kits, hand painted silk ties, etc). so scroll all the way through to see them all....

And have a safe and happy holiday weekend!  Blog hopping with Linnie Blooms and Stampendous next week...stay tuned!

It is SUMMERTIME in Craft Chicagoland! Just in time for Mother's Day.....

Hi all!

Warm weather has finally arrived this week here in Chi-town....which means it is summer outside.  Yay! We kind of bypass spring here and usually go right from winter (which has been waaaaaaay too long again this past season) into the toasty warm summer temps.  With rain mixed in, of course. And everything blooming on hyperdrive and all at once.

Both of these events address the reasons I haven't posted in the past week or two.  Yes, I've opted to spend the time outside instead of inside on my computer blogging. (Can you blame me after the winter WE just escaped from?!).  It's been so amazing not wearing winter gear (heavy coats, hats, gloves, the works) and breathing in air that doesn't burn my lungs.  So yes, I have to say opportunities to walk outside have definitely trumped computer time indoors.

If you don't suffer from seasonal or other environmental allergies, this next reason probably won't really resonate with you.  Basically, it's been tough to see clearly through itchy, watering (and very irritated) eyes.  Whatever I'm mainly allergic to every spring was apparently mega-dosing the past couple weeks. Even with windows closed as much as possible, both humans and dogs brought pollen and other allergens right into the house each time anyone stepped outdoors for even a few minutes. Staring at a computer monitor had to be limited to "deadlined" projects and  necessary tasks.

The misery lasts until it rains and washes much of the mess out of the air and keeps it trapped on the soggy ground.  Which happened yesterday evening so....here I am!  Perhaps relief only for a day, but I'm enjoying the respite, nonetheless.

HOWEVER....allergies and outdoor fun has not stopped me from creating new art or crafting new projects! Or creating a sale in my Etsy shop!  25% off ALL original art dog, cat and wildlife note cards!  Visit www.sweetpetatoes.etsy.com to visit my shop.  Lots of items listed...from scrapbook kits to handcrafted one-of-a-kind silk ties.

If you have not done so yet, please drop by www.mixedmediaart.net and take a peek at my debut article on the blog.  It is under the Product Review Section but you can just search on top under my name Gail Green and the article will pop up.  Or try this direct link......http://www.mixedmediaart.net/?s=gail+green

And, in the spirit of the season, here's one of the projects in the blog article....

I also have another project posted on the Linnie Blooms Design Team Blog....it's pretty cool so take a jog over to that site, as well... www.linnieblooms.blogspot.com

For more info on Linnie Blooms products, visit their website.


Another article will be posting sometime next week...

Have a Happy Mother's Day!

More Ollie the Monkeyman Stories!

It's time for another Ollie story!

Ollie is a male red-side Eclectus parrot who LOVES crafts, watching me create art, feeding the dogs (and playing with their toys...aka stealing their toys), whatever we are eating...and music!

He also talks.  I mean talking as in actual communication using appropriate sounds and/or human words/phrases.  Most people who do not know birds well assume that talking birds just mimic words and have no idea what they mean.  Intelligent parrots like African Greys and Eclectus, however, are capable of actual appropriate use of words--which are sounds--and other sounds to communicate their thoughts, needs, and feelings.

For example, Ollie learned a long time ago to imitate the sound of a dog squeaky ball and use that sound to convey happiness. He will always make that squeaky ball sound whenever we turn on the shower and ask him to step up so he can be transferred onto his perch inside the shower stall and enjoy a bath.  He spreads his wings wide and allows the water to thoroughly soak his feathers during his bath.  When I tell him to step back onto the perch (so he won't get soap or shampoo on his feathers), he will immediately step back and up onto his perch.

HOWEVER....if he just HAD a bath the previous day and doesn't really need another one, he will not make that sound.  He'll go into the shower with us to keep us company and enjoy the higher humidity, but won't spread his wings or attempt to get wet.  And no squeaky toy squeal of delight!

After his bath, I place one of his small towels around him, dry him off for just a moment and then replace him and his perch into the bathtub where he then listens to country music and preens himself in the sun streaming in the window. He sings to the music, then takes a nap.

 Hopefully it will finally warm up so the windows can be open and he can once again enjoy full spectrum light!

Introducing....Ollie the Monkeyman!

For those of you who may not already be familiar with my "Ollie" stories, let me explain.  Ollie is a 5-1/2 year old Eclectus parrot who LOVES, LOVES, LOVES crafting and all things artsy, colorful and creative.  Not sure if it is the positive energy I give off when creating and creating art--or the sheer fascination he has watching things happening--but Ollie is at his happiest when he can watch creative things going on.

Lately, he has taken on new responsibilities. One of his new jobs is to tease Lacy Lulu, our 7 month old Border Collie puppy.  Like all "siblings", each wants to have what the other has.  In Ollie and Lacy's case, that means food and toys. Each, of course, will immediately grab the other's toy(s).  Ollie has also discovered how much fun it is to reinforce training the puppy by saying "Good boy!" when Lacy obeys a command and will often drop tasty bits of food off the side of his feeding station (aka the kitchen island) on purpose just to each her eat them up. Sometimes his enthusiasm goes a little into hyperdrive, however, and he will (literally) empty his entire bowl over the edge, one piece at a time. Maybe that is just his own way of expressing himself creatively!