A Behind Post.....

This is a behind post. No, we will not be discussing the derrière in this post. I will be posting on all the things I am behind on posting. My apologies to those who I have slighted in not posting on these things sooner.

Vee at A Haven for Vee and Carol of charli and me and Katie of Ragamuffin Gal all blessed me with the following award:Thank all of you ladies so much for visiting my little corner of the blog world and for making it all the richer for your presence. Please go and visit each of these special ladies, you will find them warm, wonderful, and welcoming!

This award is "dedicated to many who nourish and enrich the spirit and creativity. They see dedication, creativity, camaraderie, joy, and above all ART, much art. I wish that this prize is entertaining to all those bloggers and to bloggers who day by day share this space and enrich it a little more each day." Arte Y Pico at http://arteypico.blogspot.com/

Now for the rules:

1) Select 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award, creativity, design, interesting material, and also contributes to the blogger community, no matter what language.

2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3) Each award-winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4) The award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show a link of "Arte y pico" blog, so everyone will know the origin of the award.

Since I was awarded thrice, I guess I need to pick thrice as many people to pass it on to! There are so many wonderful bloggers out there that it is hard to pick so few when so many are deserving. This time I will play nice and pass it on according to the rules. In no particular order:

Cindy of Cindy is Crafty
Not only does Cindy make beautiful things, (her ATC's are to die for!), she crafts the best stories of her childhood and all her wide variety of pets and adventures with her siblings. My favorite story was of her pony, Billie. I learned a wonderful lesson from this story.

Lori of Faerie Window
Lori is not only a talented artist, she is a cheerleader in the blog world. Every where she visits she leaves behind her words of encouragement. Her encouragement decorates the blog world beautifully.

Laura Ingalls Gunn of Decor to Adore
Laura is my new friend and I had the privilege of featuring her on my blog for the month of June. Laura's blog is all about decorating and making home and family life beautiful. Not only does she have a pretty blog, she has a heart to match.

Catherin Holman of Catherine Holman Folk Art
This lady can paint! I love her folk art style as well as her realistic faux painting. She does custom work and the best part is that each of her darling paintings comes with its own story! You all know I cannot resist a good story!

Kimberly of Kimberly's Cup
Kimberly is a homemaker with two darling children. Her blog is filled with everyday beauty from the simple pleasures of creating beauty in the home, cooking, crafting, collecting, and much more. This is one of my favorite posts, I love the way she filled her big dough bowl!

Dawn of The Feathered Nest
This is one talented gal! Not only is she a wonderful artist, she is kindness personified. She is always willing to share and offer a helping hand to us less tech minded bloggers. It has been a thrill to watch her perch on the edge of her feathered nest, spread her wings, and learn to fly in the big wide world of art and getting her art published!

Rosa of Stripes and Roses Cottage
Rosa is a warm and wonderful blogger who creates the most beautiful art! Some of my favorite posts include her darling children. Rosa's blog is a great balance of everyday life and art and how she skillfully combines the two.

Rhea of Miss Rhea's Sweet N Shabby Roses
Rhea is a freelance artist who paints the most delicious roses. Her shabby chic style is soft, frilly, and feminine. She has the most fantastic collections and I love how she takes and ordinary object and transforms it with a few strokes of her brush into a thing of beauty.

Kimberly of Kimberly Ryan Art
Kimberly is another talented painter who has a romantic style of painting. Her soft palettes and pretty posies elevate everyday objects to functional and decorative art for the home with a flair of whimsy.

Penny of Lavender Hill Studio
Penny is a fantastic mosaic artist! Her quality mosaics were recently featured in an issue of Romantic Country magazine. Her designs incorporate vintage china. Penny's art is not only pretty, it is functional. I especially love her bird houses!

Nancy of Fete et Fleur
Nancy has exquisite tastes in design as well as in art. She creates the most wonder-filled delightful things. Her paper shoes are fantastic! Nancy is a sweet and gentle soul who shares her heart and world through art.

Barbara H of Stray Thoughts of an Ordinary Christian Woman
Now I know this award is supposed to be about art, and Barbara does make art but that is no what her blog is about, it is about heart. Barbara has a pretty heart that loves the Lord, her family, and others. I have only recently "met" her and want to thank her for decorating my life with her presence.

I don't know if this is bending the rules or not BUT I am also going to return this honor to the ones who bestowed it upon me!

Vee of A Haven for Vee
Vee is a crafter, a cooker, and corker! She often keeps me in stitches, not only with her wonderful sewing projects, but her sense of humor. Vee is another cheerleader in the blog world and you will be blessed to know her, I am!

Carol of charli and me
Carol shares beautiful photography with her posts and her blog is just a good everyday mix of life. Carol is a compassionate soul whose chosen profession is a registered nurse. She is all about family, friends, and of course her little dog Charli, who is a bundle of joy!

Katie of Ragamuffin Gal
Katie is a very talented artist who is passionate not only about art but about life itself, and the one who created her. Katie paints, draws, and crafts with paper. Her art reflects her vibrancy and zest for life.

TAG I'M IT!

photo source

I was tagged by Pinkie Denise of Pinkpomegranate.
I am to tell you seven random facts or weird things about myself, link back to the one who tagged me, and then select seven other bloggers to tag. So here it goes.....

1. I read magazines from the back to the front. Really, I like to read all those little ads in the back, resource lists, etc. It feels more natural to me to flip from the back to the front of the magazine.

2. I once ran a successful cake decorating business from my home. At the same time I had a child in 2nd grade that I had to take to and from school, an infant that was learning to crawl, and baby sat a newborn and a two year old that I was potty training! I would mix up all my frosting in the morning, bake cakes during nap time, and decorate them after dinner. I was a LOT younger then and way more energetic!

3. I am an only child. I did have an imaginary friend named Lisa. She got me in a LOT of trouble so I had to unimagine her!

4. My favorite colors are green, red, and yellow. I once was allowed to decorate my own room, from the carpet up to the light fixture. I chose a blood red sculptured carpet, a white eyelet dust ruffle, a red dupioni silk bedspread and matching drapes, with white sheers and white silk tasseled tie backs. My walls were white and I chose a light fixture that looked something like a saloon lantern with a big red glass shade around it. At night my room glowed like a bordello! What was my mother thinking in letting a six year old design her room?

5. I am a decorative painter. I used to sell my hand painted wares at craft shows, flea market booths, and in a fine antiques store. I specialized in hand painted furniture and did custom design work. I also designed a line of hand painted wooden jewelry and did custom hand painted rodeo jackets. Most people are surprised when they walk into my home and find that I have very little if any of my own art work in my home.

6. I am not a good gardener. Most plants that come home with me just sigh and die!

7. I am an obsessive compulsive organizational freak! It is true, my friends make fun of me, my family makes fun of me, Martha Stewart would make fun of me if she knew me! I even organize my grocery cart! Just last week I went grocery shopping and when I unloaded my buggy the checker looked at me a little funny. He said, "That is the most organized grocery cart I have ever seen." He watched as I put grouped like items on the conveyor belt. First all the cold items, then canned goods, then boxed goods, then cleaners, then health and beauty aids, then pet products, then fresh produce, eggs, and lastly bread and chips. "WOW!" was his response. "I've never seen anyone do that before! Are you like serious?"

So there you have some randomness about me! On this one I will not play nice. If you read this post and want to be tagged, then, your it!A while back I won a give away over at Bonnie's (Calamity Jane's Cottage) and I have yet to post about that either! Oh don't worry, I was not so rude as not to thank her properly for her generosity, I just didn't share it with you or give her a link back.

Some things are missing from the original give away package, I used them already, but here is what she sent me, a stack of delicious fabrics from her stash! I see some fantastic fall goodies made out of these!A darling Christmas panel that I already have plans for!Some paper goodies featuring vintage graphics, a precious handmade tag, some blank shipping tags, and a package of lace trim and yummy yarns! Some of the tags and yarns got used in a recent art swap project.And if that wasn't enough, she even sent a wonderful CD with some great mood music for crafting by!Thank you so very much Bonnie for your generosity. I loved everything and you will see bits and pieces popping up from time to time as I create with your wonderful gifts.

I won a little give away over at Karla's of Karla's CottageKarla sent me a darling little package all wrapped up in pink with a tiny little heart charm. Inside the package were a pair of precious earrings in one of my favorite colors! Karla, thank you so much for an excuse to go shopping, after all, a girl needs an entire outfit to go with her new accessory! Love them!Also, Laura Ingalls Gunn of Decor to Adore sent me the sweetest package of goodies you could ever imagine! These were a thank you gift for featuring her on my blog for the month of June. She wrapped the items in plain brown paper and tied them with a string. The card on top said, "Brown paper packages tied up in strings, Wasn't that one of Laura's favorite things?" Inside was a precious handkerchief embroidered with red roses, yummy candies, and two sweet little sunbonnet girl pins! Where are the yummy candies you ask? I ate them before the photograph!Book plates featuring Laura Ingalls Wilder!A fun paper doll package!AND a sheer dotted swiss vintage apron, with red polka dots! The hem is scalloped and the pockets look like tulips!Laura, thank you so much for the precious items. I have them displayed and will cherish them always.

Lets see, did I leave anything out? Oh yes, there was the "Where I'm From" creative writing deal over at Vee's (her poem) and Sand Flat Farm (her poem), which originated over at Shanda's, here (the idea behind the writing exercise)and here (her beautiful poem), based on the poem Where I'm From by George Ella Lyon. The following is my little contribution:Where I'm From

by Sandy Babb

I am from hills and hollers, and winding red dirt roads
I am from the Bible Belt where you are taught to let Jesus carry your load

I am from summer sun warmed days and springtimes gentle breezes
I am from autumns riot of color and winters deep freezes

I am from whip-o-wills
I am from ghost night story chills

I am from bare feet, pig tails, and watermelon rind
I am from eating sun warmed blackberries straight from the vine

I am from shower baths on the front lawn
I am from watching the daylight dawn

I am from crayons, paints, and glue
I am from scissors and construction paper too

I am from June bugs and fire flies in jars
I am from laying in the grass and wishing on stars

I am from cornbread, brown beans, and fried taters'
I am from poke salad, green onions, cucumbers, and fresh tamters'

I am from voices that drawl and twang
I am from fables and the ballads they sang

I am from buried deep down Southern roots
I am from lone night barn owl hoots

I am from magnolias, gardenias, and honeysuckle vine
I am from a more genteel time

I am from a broken home
I am from time alone

I am from fables and fairy tale books
I am from fear and hiding in nooks

I am from sadness, pain, and sorrow
I am from "It will be better tomorrow"

I am from syrupy Southern sweet tea
I am from God, who made me

I am from life lessons learned
I am from bridges burned

I am from mercy, forgiveness, and grace
I am from the fallen human race

I am from lost to found
I am from choosing higher ground

I am from sinner to saint
I am from "perfect I ain't"

I am from burdened and bound
I am from freedom in Him found

I am from humbled and bent
I am from much time in prayer spent

I am from a heart wounded and broken, tenderly healed over time
I am from love, compassion, and mercy divine

Blessings,
Miss Sandy

In the words of Madeline, "That's all there is there isn't anymore!" I am no longer behind! Oh no, that is not true! I completely forgot to tell you about a GIVE AWAY going on over at Victoria's of Vintage Tea! Hurry over and visit Victoria and sign up!

P.S. I'd love to hear where you are from. If you do this little exercise, let me know, I'd love to drop by, sit spell, and get to know you well.