Take Ten - Summer 2012

It's always a surprise!

This two page spread especially so...I didn't think they were that good and almost didn't send them in!!

And a challenge card.  I love that bright flower.

Swapped!

On one of my last posts for ROGUE REDHEAD DESIGNS I offered three ATC's for a one on one swap. And I had three takers!

Shirl - Shirl's Cards

Super Jen

Sue W - Stamping Sue in Connecticut

Thank you ladies for the beautiful artwork!!

Happy (Belated) Birthday Nate!

My nephew-in-law's birthday is May 18th. So yes, I'm very late in posting this card. I did get it to Nate the week of his birthday, so I'm not a total loser! LOL.

I used this CAS sketch (#191) from Clean&Simple's blog.  I love their blog, but you know me...I rarely do CAS cards.  But this sketch spoke to me.

In fact, I liked so it much I made a second card.  I just reversed the layers.

The bee is Stampoque.

Happy "belated" birthday Nate!!

The new "normal"...

So, the Pike's Peak area is slowly returning to a new "normal". The fire is 100% contained thanks to the hard work of 1400+ firefighters (THANK YOU!!). Areas inside the containment area will continue to burn until the first freeze.

I was able to come home from vacation up Hwy 24 (which was closed nearly the entire time) to a home with no damage. In fact, everybody I know has returned to their homes. But the degree of separation between me and somebody who lost their home is ONE. Four families in my Mom's church lost homes. One of my stamping buddies, Joanna, knows 6 families. (Read her blog entry (Joanna / Sitting on Pens and Needles), about her evacuation from fire storm that night.)

The area now moves to rebuilding and restoring.  Neither will happen fast.   Everyday there is a reminder - either driving into or out of Colorado Springs.  The view is forever altered.  Yesterday, I was sitting at a light and a semi truck drove out of the Mountain Shadows burn area carrying 3 burnt out cars...just bare metal.

The following pictures are what I see daily.

Ironically, this Smokey sign is at the parking lot of the Waldo Canyon trail head. Everything around Smokey burned. But the sign was untouched.

A few yards from Smokey is the trail head.  Before the fire, I didn't know there was a rock formation there.

I took this picture this spring because the blooming yucca were so pretty.   This picture is actually the same shot as the rocky outcropping (above) at the Waldo Canyon trail head.  It's sad that those yucca won't bloom again.

I took this picture of the trail head parking lot the day the fire started.  Smoky would be just behind the blue truck on the far left.  The yucca are on the dirt area above the trucks.

The fire didn't burn everything.  Here the trees in the background are still green and untouched.  The trees in the foreground are burnt.  The fire doesn't always take all the needles...it just looks dried out.  The traffic cones mark an area that could be subject to flash flood or mudslide.

Now that the undergrowth is gone, we face a new danger.  That of mudslides and flash floods.  A week after the fire was contained, we had heavy rains.  In the center of this picture is the hole (just under the tree) left by the resulting mudslide.  For scale...my SUV would fit in the hole.

This is Cascade, Colorado. Here you can see that the fire burnt nearly the entire hill side. Amazingly, the firefighters managed to keep all the houses safe in this town.

This photo is the area over Mountain Shadows (were 354 homes were lost).  You can tell the burnt area from the untouched areas.

This is Cascade.  But everywhere you look there are 100's of signs thanking the firemen and first responders for saving what they did.  They really did make heroic efforts to save what they did.  We are all eternally grateful for their hard work.

So, I will return to my regular topics. I have lots of crafty stuff to share with you (it's been a while, huh?).  AND the building permit for the basement should be approved this week.  YEAH!!

OH!!  ONE MORE THING!   Please, please come visit us in the Pike's Peak area.  While I've shown you all the ugly parts, there are still LOTS and LOTS of  BEAUTIFUL views.  There's lots to DO and SEE.  All the major attractions are untouched, with the one exception - the Flying W Ranch.  We still have lots of hiking trials and camping areas available.  We need you!

Denver Post Photos

The Denver Post has posted a photo array of aerial photos taken between June 24 to 27.   They are quite stunning and if you want to look at the whole array you can find it here: http://photos.denverpost.com/mediacenter/2012/06/photos-aerial-images-of-the-waldo-canyon-fire-in-colorado-springs/38597/

I pulled this one out because it’s of Woodland Park.  Pointed south down Hwy 24 (if the angle was right you'd be looking directly at Pike's Peak).  Hwy 24 makes a "U" through the middle of Woodland Park (bottom center).  In the lower right you can see the turn off where Hwy 67 (my evacuation route) splits off of Hwy 24.  The photo is taken “over my house” (probably not quite but close).  Follow Hwy 24 to the center of the photo…you can see a LARGE building.  That’s Wal-mart.  Mom’s house is directly across the highway and up the hill two blocks.


UPDATED:
I've added a few more pictures to yesterday's post (my internet connection was very slow last night).

A Few Stressful Days

I know in Cyberland you don't always know where the people you follow live.  So let me tell you that I live in a little town called Woodland Park, Colorado which is 20 minutes up Ute Pass (Hwy 24) from Colorado Springs.  A picturesque little town in the Rocky Mountains and in the shadow of Pike's Peak.

The people in and around Colorado Springs have had a BAD week.  A VERY BAD WEEK.

Saturday my mom and I were in Colorado Springs running errands and getting ready to leave on vacation this week. Just before 1pm, I looked up to the foothills and snapped this picture.  I said to my mom, "Oh, this isn't good."   MAJOR UNDERSTATEMENT.

We finished our errands and went up Ute Pass (Hwy 24).  Half way up the pass is a pull out where people can park their cars and hike Waldo Canyon.  The fire started here and so locally the fire is the Waldo Canyon Fire.  The fire was quickly growing.

By the time I got home the mandatory evacuations had started.  Mostly around the entrance of Ute Pass.  I am "housesitting" for a friend who is out of the country for a few weeks.  Thanks to modern communication she started texting me - was it bad?  Where were the evacuation areas?  Could I go get a few things out of her house?   I got back in the car and headed back to the Springs.   The round trip probably took 3 hours tops.  By the time I was headed back up the pass, the fire had grown.   I snapped this picture going thru Cascade (one of the first communities evacuated).

By Sunday morning Ute Pass (Hwy 24) was closed.  And parts of tiny Woodland Park were under pre-evacuation orders.  Meaning...starting thinking about the what you need to take with you.  My mom's house was in this area.  I drove over, helped her pack up, and took her to my house.  I live across town (3 miles).

The fire continued to grow.  We had very little snow this year; NO rain this spring; and record HIGH temperatures.  "The Perfect Storm"

Fortunately, my mom drove off yesterday for the family reunion.  I'm scheduled to follow by air on Friday.  On both Monday and Tuesday the fire had gotten closer and closer to Woodland Park.  We are separated only by one ridge of mountains.

Yesterday...the unthinkable happened.

I sat in my chair in front of the television (where I've been for the last 5 days) and watched my old neighborhood go up in flames. I lived in that neighborhood for 10years.  I sold my house (now a rental) this spring.  I was thinking about the young couple that bought it.  They are just married.  It's their first house.  The renter I had was moving out this week.  The fire got within 2 blocks of the house.  As far as I know it's still standing.

And I think (so far) all my friends who live in the neighborhood still have houses.  The estimate now is 300 homes burned last night.

I packed my car with my mom's stuff, my friend's stuff, and my stuff.  When you're faced with the need to pick and choose what to take (and it has to fit in your car).  It becomes very evident what is important and what's not.  Would I miss my furniture?  Sure.  Would I pick a lamp over my great-grandparents bible?  Never in a million years.

This morning started out beautifully in Woodland Park.  No smoke.  A light breeze.  Noticeably cooler temps.

And then around noon, I got a text from a friend...ARE YOU LEAVING?   What??  Then on the news: "Woodland Park is under mandatory evacuation".   YIKES!  That will get your blood pumping.  I grabbed the few things I hadn't packed (laptops, purse, cat).  Closed the house.  Told my neighbor I was leaving and headed north on a 3hr drive to Denver and then back to Colorado Springs.  A drive to Colorado Springs usually will take me 20 minutes down Hwy 24. 

The following pictures were taken as I drove north to Denver and then south back to the Springs.  They are not edited (other than to change the file size) and come directly off my iPhone.

My trip north to Denver took me thru the Hayman Fire Burn area.  Ten years ago this month Colorado's biggest wildfire was started by a forest service employee.  It burned 138,000 acres and got within 8 miles of Woodland Park.  As of yesterday the Waldo Canyon fire has burnt 15,000 acres and is within 2.5 miles of Woodland Park.  Ten years later Hayman still looks like the far side of the moon.

Driving south out of Denver. The smoke column makes it's own weather (that's smoke going up, not rain coming down). The mountain to the left of the truck is Pike's Peak.

Driving thru Colorado Springs directly east of last nights losses. Normally, a wild fire smells like a camp fire or your fire place.  This smoke smelled like burnt insulation, wires, melted rubber, etc.

One unhappy Poe.

I am thankful for the following:
1) The 800+ firefighters from Colorado Springs, El Paso/Teller Counties, Colorado, and across the country that have come here to help us.
2) That everybody I know is safe!
3) That I have good friends that said, "Of course we'll take you in!!"
4) That I have saved the few things that are very important to me.
5) And for cyberspace...where I have managed to keep up with my friends/neighbors/coworkers; they have been able to keep up with me; and that I can share my heartbreak for my beautiful city with you.

Pray for us!  I'd still like to get my basement finished this summer...I need a house for that!

Deb & Poe, the evacuees

Rogue Redhead: A Finale!

I'm sad to say this is my last post for Rogue Redhead Designs.   I'm stepping down from the design team.  I've started the process to get my basement finished (into a "mancave with girlie parts" (or in other words a craft room to die for!!!)).  With that going on I felt I needed to step down.

Here's a little tutorial of how I created this canvas. (note: after each step I dry the canvas with my heat gun.)

I started with a 4x5 canvas, some paints, gel medium, and paper scraps.

I painted a rough background on to the canvas (and on the sides). I do this just because the paper won't reach to the edges and it keeps the edges from sticking out.

I covered the dried painted background with gel medium, layered the paper on, and added more gel medium over the paper. I use a matte finish gel medium.

Next using solvent or oil based inks randomly stamp all over. I used stamps and "found items" (shelf liner, bubble wrap, spray can lids, etc). This is an ongoing step as the layers go down. If you feel it needs more stamping...STAMP!!

I sprayed color in the corner over a mask. I should have put the stamped BEACH BABES down first, but as you can tell, in the end it didn't matter.

I stamped the BEACH BABES on scrap paper and glued down with more gel medium.

To distress the image I used India Ink pens and my finger to add color and then rub it out.

Use a gel pen to add detail to the distressed image. (and notice there was more stamping going down...)

I just bought this Inca Gold - it's a waxy color. I rubbed some along the edges and corners. Buff it with a rag.

After adding the flowers and shells (or between layers to keep them from running) spray with "Workable Fixative". This will give it a nice shine!

So here are some close ups of the final image. After I had the layer of fixative on, I decided to add the sentiment. Just goes to show you...you can't make a mistake and more layers are always good!

Thanks so much to Shar for inviting me a year ago to join the team and allowing me to play with her great stamp sets!


(On this canvas I used Beach Babes, Floriculture, and Relish Reading)

A Man Cave with Girlie Parts...

Four years ago I bought a townhouse with an unfinished basement. My plan was to finish the basement with in the year. Then the economy took a nose dive (as did property values). And I briefly (thank goodness) was unemployed.

At any rate, the basement finishing went undone.

But after some economic recovery of my own and some financial fine tuning...I finally have the ability to get started!!

I met with the architect tonight to view the first draft (I didn't have many changes but some). As I told him in the beginning..."I want a man cave with girlie parts". Translation: A cosy movie room and a KILLER CRAFT ROOM!!!  (and a 3rd bedroom and bath)

So my craft time will be limited this summer but I will be posting regular pictures of the future CRAFT HEAVEN of Deb!

Rogue Redhead: Milliner Miss ATCs

So here's the thing about me....I don't always read every little bit of info on a blog/post. Mostly I look at the pictures. (Grin)


So recently in the UNRULY PAPER ARTS Yahoo Group, I noticed an ATC swap.  When I first started paper crafting I did tons of swaps!  The past few years, I've been too busy to join any.  So I thought it would be fun to join this one.  So here's the part where I wasn't really reading all the fine details....THE SWAP DEADLINE WAS APRIL 30TH.  (oops....)

So, I have 3 ATC's all ready for trade. If you'd like to trade one-on-one with me, please leave a comment.

It Never Gets Old!

That little "whoop!" in your stomach when the complimentary copy of Stampers Sampler comes out of the mailbox!!

The Catch-up issue is full of beautiful art submitted over the last few issues.

I had one tag towards the back.

GRIN!!

OH!  PS...the balloon on the cover is a Rogue Redhead set - Relish Reading!!!

Happy Birthday Laura!

April 14th is an interesting day in history...
...the Titanic hit the iceberg on the 14th (it sank on the 15th)...
...Lincoln was shot (he died on the 15th too)...
...on normal years, taxes are due...
...and on the April 14th, 1963 my baby sister, Laura, born
(the 14th is also my Dad's birthday and in 1963 it was Easter Sunday)!

This year my sister turns 49 (my Dad would have been 80).

So I wanted to give her a little piece of me.

Besides the background (which I confessed yesterday I nearly left "blank" and kept), I love the shorts. Laura is a math teacher in the numbered shorts made me giggle.

And I like how my poppies turned out.  Aren't they fun?

The sentiment "As you wish" is from her favorite movie Princess Bride.

Yes, I seem to be doing a lot of canvas lately...but I have to tell you I'm having FUN with it!! I've also been working on some scrapbooks and tags.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISTER!!!