Happy Halloween...

It's time for ghost and spooks. Freaks and fairies. Oh...and don't forget the super heroes.

An interesting day of school. We really shouldn't even have school today, they are so hard to focus and get on task. They think it should be a free day, and will even say so. I'll be wiped out by the end of the evening. :)

The good thing, is they will all crash tomorrow, when all the sugar wears off. Makes for a quiet day!

I had minute to make a new print:

A fun compilation of coffee goodness. That's a Latte Love.

Hope you all have a festive, fun filled day.

Rhoda

A Fast Week

Sheesh.

It's been quiet here on the blog. Not around the house and in our daily life, but here in this little corner.

I swear I didn't forget about it. And tried not to be neglectful :)

It's not even possible to begin to tell where the last three days went. I don't have a clue!

But, now it's Friday. And we have plans for date night tonight and then a quiet weekend. I'm so ready. There are so many things on my "To Do" list that when I think of where to start and what to do, I just draw a blank. I'll start somewhere, and then it will all fall into place. It always works that way.

Tonight:
Yoga.
Take the kids to the neighbor for a night of playing and fun.
Dinner with friends.
A birthday party for big kids.
And then maybe an episode or two of Glee, on Netflix.

I finally found time to post the cards from the October swap on Just Cards. I joined every swap this month, and even a youth one for Ky. Hers isn't pictured here, because she has already stashed it away in one of her treasure troves. I'll not be seeing it again for awhile :)

Each one is so unique and fun. Love them all :) Thanks ladies for a great swap!

I'm off to play. I promise, I'll be back...

Rhoda

Stop and Smell the Flowers

Sometimes, you just need to stop and smell the flowers.
Or spend a day being creative.

Here's another fun free digi stamp for you to add to your collection. I'm hoping to find some time to stop and smell the flowers myself...after I catch up on some chores :)

Happy Tuesday,

Rhoda

Back to the Real World

I'm home.
I could have used a few more days of fun, but I'll take what I can get :)

The adventure weekend started at my dad's, with my sister and my kids. Dinner out. A movie.

The next morning, I delivered the kids to their grandparents (Chris' parents).  Cyra and I started our drive. The plan was to meet my sister Fauna by 4 in Southern Idaho.

We were ahead of schedule, so along the way, we stopped at a hidden hot springs. My dad used to work on the property when I was very little, and we used to swim there through the years. It's been so long that Cyra didn't remember being there. It was a perfect day for it! We even had coffee!

Then, we kept driving. And driving.

We met Fauna at Barnes and Noble, had our coffee and then found a hotel and some dinner. The next day, we shopped, the girls got their hair cut, and then we drove some more.

Our final destination was Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. Perfect. We spent two days, playing, swimming, relaxing, and just being sisters.

It was hard to come back to reality. We eased into it. A few stops along the way. Tea. A walk in the cemetery in Pocatello (one of my favorite places to walk when I lived there). Pizza and some catch with dad. And a new pasta hair style:

Now we are home. Back to reality. A day at school. Chores. Yoga. The usual :)

Happy Monday!

Rhoda

It's a Sister Thing!

Hi All :)

I am off on a sister trip. I will have some pictures to show soon.

Hot Springs with the little sister.

Hot Springs with both sisters.

Shopping.

Adventure.

More to come!!

Thanks for staying tuned :)

Rhoda

Not the Dentist

The kids and I have dental appointments today.

Ugh.

Definitely one of the things I do not like. Do NOT like. Even thinking of the sounds and smells gives me shivers. I hate metal on my teeth. Do my best to avoid it, and then you pay to go sit in a chair to be tortured. Where is the sense in that? I'm trying to not push my dislike off on my kids. I don't say anything. Just shiver on the inside.

The silver lining? We get the day off school. All three of us have appointments, so we will hit the dentist. Have lunch. And then spend the rest of the day together.

It's also the Montana Educators Association weekend this weekend. They do workshops on Thursday and Friday. If we do two In Service days during the summer, we can turn those days into free days. I did my time during the summer, so a 4 day weekend is just around the corner. My sister and I have a trip planned.
Just the two of us.
No kids.
No husbands.
No dad (he usually gets to join us on sister trips, but not this year).

I'm so excited!!

Since I will be off playing for the weekend, I figured today would be a good day for a free treat. A couple of birdies. Cute little chirpers to decorate any of your projects.

You can download them here: Free Birds.

I think they would be fun to color in Christmas colors and put on a project with pine trees, or even a Christmas tree and snow. Might have to find some time to play with them...after my weekend away :)

Happy Tuesday,

Rhoda

One Happy Dog

Happy Sunday!

I found some time to draw yesterday. It has been a rainy rainy weekend. At one point,  I almost thought it was snow, it was coming down so thick and sideways. It had that slow heaviness that snowflakes have. Might have been part slush. It's definitely cold enough!

We are having a lazy day. Everyone has found something to keep them entertained. Hayden is rearranging his bedroom (and hopefully cleaning some things up while he is in there). Kyla is under a blankie, watching a show on the iPad. Chris is somewhere in the basement working on a project. I've done a load of laundry and listed a few new animal digi stamps, and had to many cups of coffee, but they were so yummy!

This Happy Dog just makes me grin. He is so silly, and so happy, how could you not?

I made this moose, and another with a hat. Moose are one of my favorite forest animals. We don't see them often, but when we do, we watch them for as longs as we can.

And a sheep. I had sheep in 4H. They aren't really my favorite in real life, but they are cute when they are illustrated. Silly looking animals!

I'm off to drink some more coffee and find some other fun things to draw. Thanks for visiting :)

Rhoda

October Card Swaps

Spoiler Alert!
These are the cards I made for the October swap on the Just Cards Yahoo group.

Kyla made one too, for the youth swap. She was pretty excited about it, and went on to make a few more cards. One for each of her Volleyball coaches, one for her dad, and who knows what else. She just pops into the craft room and whips out another...

She even decorated her envelope. All of the graphics are my own. I printed and colored them using Copic markers (except the owls, they are computer colored clip art that I made).

It's a rainy Saturday. I plan on watching a movie and drawing. Hubby and I had a short date in town for breakfast and some shopping. Wonder where we could ship the kids off to now?...

Have a great day,

Rhoda

I Want My Mummy!

Is it to soon to do the "Friday Happy Dance"?

I love Fridays because:

• It's the end of the school week (guess that was a given).
• We get to wear jeans (ever other day of the week it has to be something other than jeans...and I love my capris, but not as much as I love my jeans!)
• We get out at 2:30 instead of 3:30 and we don't have an extra 30 minutes of contract time. We get to leave when the kids do, as long as we don't run them over the parking lot.
• Hubby and I cuddle and watch a movie.
• The kids make forts and play anywhere and everywhere in the house :)
• I know that on Saturday, I get to sleep in. Sometimes I wake up at the time the alarm is about to go off, smile, and then snuggle back into the blankies.

I'm sure my list could continue, but I think you get the idea.

To celebrate the upcoming Friday, how about another treat? This one is part of my Halloween Kids digi stamp set, but I thought it would be nice to have him for some cards before the holiday comes along.

I want my mummy!! You can download this free treat here. I haven't colored him yet, but I think he will make a great card.

Enjoy. Off to do my Friday Happy Dance :)

Rhoda

I Want to be a Princess

It's been a busy week.

School.

Kids.

Power outage.
That was fun! Most days I like to warm up a half cup of coffee when I get home from school. Yesterday was a cup of coffee day, for sure. I put my cup in the microwave. Hit the 1 minute button, and there was a HUGE kaboom outside. Gun shot loud. Earth shattering kaboom (said in my best Marvin the Martian impersonation). A transformer blew. Somewhere in the neighbor hood. Right as I pushed that button.

I had some left over roast that I was planning on turning into shredded tacos for dinner. Figured I would just warm it up on the bar bq. No power. No problem. Then it started to rain. Not a sprinkle that you could still bar bq in. A downpour.

We ran to the grocery store. Grabbed a roasted chicken. Problem solved :)

School today.
We had two assemblies. One for the K-6 and one for the 7-12. It was an introduction to a program called Rachel's Challenge. I think that the kids took away a very important lesson, but it was an exhausting day. The kids were challenged to be compassionate, spread kindness, dream big and write down their goals, and remember to tell their loved ones how much they care about them.

The kindergarten went back to their room after their assembly and worked on a poster about their dreams and goals and then shared it with the high school students. They wrote down what they want to be when they grow up.

I want to be a fireman.
I want to be a ship captain.
I want to be a professional skateboarder.
I want to be a teacher.
I want to be a princess.

Yep. We had a number of big kids who could relate to that. Even I did. I loved Cinderella when I was little. It was my very first Disney movie that I remember and it was extra special because my dad took me. We had to walk in a Montana blizzard to get to the theatre. He bought me hot chocolate to warm me up along the way. I can still see the snowflakes swirling in the street lamps. It's one of my favorite memories.

Now I have other big dreams. But it's still nice to think about being a princess.

Dream Big!

Rhoda

A New Haircut

Happy Monday! I'm glad you all are enjoying the Scarecrow Digi. Make sure you check for other Giveaways section as well. There are a few already posted, and there will be more to follow.

I am really bad about getting my hair cut on a regular basis. I  used to be good about it. And then in college there wasn't any money for it. Then kids happened, and there wasn't any time. I'm getting better about it, but not as good as I should be. Now, when I get my hair done, it's usually pretty drastic or different, because I am REALLY ready for a change.

Here's the latest:

The shortest it has ever been, that I can remember. Maybe a little shorter once, when I was in college, but I grew that out as fast as possible :)

This one is going to be fun with my hats!

This weekend was pretty quiet. Hubby was gone and the kids and I kept things pretty laid back. I colored my fairy. She is pretty fun. The paper I used already had a shimmer to it...and then I added glitter to her wings. I colored her outfit in spring colors, but I am thinking it would be really fun to make her dress red with green tights. Christmas theme!

I am entering her in the following card challenges...and I challenge you to color her and change her theme into something fun and creative. She's versatile :)

Rhoda

Challenges:
Flutter By Wednesday's - Fairy, Butterfly, Angel
Sparkles Forum - Something that sparkles.
Pile it On - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp - Sparkle and Bling
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

Celebrate Fall

Happy Saturday!

The kids and I are spending the day, putzing around the house. No major plans.

Eat what we want, when we want to.

Drink more coffee!

Draw. Craft. Play.

We might find something out of the house later this afternoon, or we will just continue to "be". Whatever makes us happy :)

Thought we could celebrate our fall weather, and the first week of October with another fun treat. Autumn theme this time.

You can find the download here. Be sure and share a link back with your fun creations and tell your friends so they can play too. All previous giveaways are listed under the tag "Giveaway" in the categories. No expiration.

If you would like the girl scarecrow, some apples, and a couple of crows, you can find the complete set in my Etsy Shop.

Have a great weekend!

Rhoda


Pin It

Halloween Card Challenge

I have a pile of Halloween cards that I have made lately. I think this one is my favorite though:

Figured, since it's one of my favs, I would share it on a Halloween Challenge and iCopic. There is still time to join if you wish.

I am also working on another fun treat. Stay tuned :)

Doing the Friday Happy Dance!!

Rhoda Pin It

Artist Trading Cards

So, there wasn't an all out witch hunt, but we still managed to find her.

She was hanging out in the Kindergarten room, where she had fallen out of my pocket. She is a little messier than she should be, but I was painting with the lights off in my classroom, and didn't notice until I was out in the light. It fits her :)

I was also able to color a few more. Watercolors are super fun, I think. I still really love Copic markers, but  watercolors are really good practice too, and nice for a change.

Another sweet ATC that I colored with watercolor. She was tiny, but fun.

I think this one is my favorite. The hair turned out great, and I always love purple and green! :)

I colored this 5 x 7 art during the week, but never had a chance to take a picture until this evening. We have had rainy days, which make photos hard, but I'm not complaining. We needed it! I listed her in the shop.

And last, but not least, I received my last card from the September card swap. It looks like the mail wasn't very nice to it, but it survived and is a super cute card.

That's all for this evening. I'm off to watch Glee with my hubby. We have never seen it (no T.V. channels, only Netflix). We are only a few seasons in, and starting to become addicted.

Happy Thursday!

Rhoda

Have You Seen a Witch?

I was going to share  a picture of an ATC (artist trading card) that I made yesterday. But before I could take a picture of it, I lost it.

Yep.

Lost it.

How? I have no stinking clue. It was in my pocket with my phone. The only thing that I can think, is that it fell out when I took my phone out, and I didn't notice. I'm not super upset about it. Just a little. Since I didn't get a picture of it. I figure it was my "Gorilla Art" for the day.

The idea is that you create art, and then leave it laying around somewhere, to brighten someone's day. Or to make them think. Put it in a library book. Leave it under the next pack of butter at the grocery store. Place it under the tip before you leave the cafe. It's a super fun book by Keri Smith. Great idea, I just did it on accident :)

I was going to send out a school wide email, asking if anyone had seen a witch, but figured I'd better not. To many smart alecks around here!

She might pop up again, or she is in someone else's pocket or book now, being enjoyed.

Rhoda

They're My Favorite...

Thought I would share some eye candy today.

It's amazing how many beautiful things I see in a day. Things that grab my attention because of their color. Their design. Or because they make me think of something. Stir a memory.

Here are my latest additions to my favorites:

This tape makes my creative heart sing. I can think of so many fun things to add this too. I'd even cover my  kids in this (kidding *wink*).

I remember these. Vividly. There was nothing worse than dialing the first 5 or 6 numbers and then messing up on the second to last one. Start over. Try again. Wait for the dial to spin all the way back around. And the cords, when they were all stretched out. Tangled around your arm or ankle. I'd love to have one now...

When I first saw these, my first thought was Yellowstone. The hot pools. The Abyss and all the colors that layer through it. One of my favorite places to visit. When I retire, someday, I'm going to be a tour guide for the thermal activity in Yellowstone. Just sayin'.

Last, but certainly not least, are these colors. My travel bug is starting to bite. What I wouldn't give for a sister trip to some little village in Greece. These colors make me think I should start a "sister" travel fund!

Yum. I'm off to see what other tasty things I can add to my Eye Candy Collection.

Happy Tuesday,

Rhoda

P.S. Don't forget about the crafty challenge and sweet treat on my previous post.

Crafty Diva Challenge...

How about a challenge?
A random drawing?
A treat (no tricks)?

The details:

The following image is yours to download. A treat from me. Print her out. Color her. Enjoy :)

The fun part: post your creation on your blog and link back here or to my Etsy Shop. After you have posted your creation with links, come back here and leave me a comment. I will post a link to your blog for others to check out, and enter you into a drawing for 2 Rhoda Design digital products of your choice!

Little girl with balloons (click here to download)

Sounds fun to me, but I think we need a few more ways to win. Let's have a second drawing for those of you who want to post on your blog or tweet about all the fun creations that you can find here on the blog or in the shop. After you post or tweet, come back here and leave a comment. I will enter you into a separate drawing for a digital design of your choice.

Sweet and simple right? And it should be loads of fun!

Challenge:

• Use the image above to create a card, layout, or something creative.
• Post it on your blog with a link to Rhoda Design Studio
• Come back and post a comment when you are done. 

Random Drawing:

• Post a blog entry about something you like on Rhoda Design Studio blog or shop.
• Tweet about Rhoda Design Studio
• Come back and leave a comment to be entered (more than one entry is a-okay).

Excited to see what you all come up with :)

Here are my weekend creations using my newest additions to the shop:

I am getting ready to print a few more that I really want to see colored. Let's get creative!

Happy Sunday,

Rhoda

Pin It P.S. The winners will be picked on the 28th of October. Plenty of time to play :)

Hello October!

Is it going to cool down yet?
Our nights have been chilly. We have even had a few light frosts. But, no rain. No cloudy days.

That's what I really want. A few days of drizzle. There were in the forecast, but every time I look again, they are pushed back another day. Huh? Just let it rain already!

The house is quiet this morning.

Hayden had a sleepover at a friends.

Kyla and Chris are off running around in town. Probably at the Trading Post.

The house is empty. I can't decide if I want another cup of coffee, or a shower. Or maybe both :)

I did some digital coloring this morning:

And a little last night. After I decide on the coffee and shower, I am going to draw in my sketchbook again. See what sort of fun things I can come up with.

I posted the winner of yesterday's giveaway. Thank you to everyone who read and commented on my blog this week.
She chose Gracie and Her Bike as her prize:

I'm excited to see what kinds of fun things she does with it :)

Coffee is winning. I'm off to refill.

Happy Saturday!

Rhoda