Books on Rocks.

Back when I first moved to Alabama, long time readers may recall that I was part of a blogging group. We met once a month, usually at an interesting place, we'd have some kind of informational meeting followed by lunch at a local eatery. Alan Samry was part of that group and you may notice that his blog is on my sidebar, Stump The Librarian. Well, Alan has been working on this book for a while. I know because he enlisted Megan as a test reader. She also designed his logo which is right there on the cover. Cool!

Here is the back cover which tells you a little bit about Alan. What it doesn't tell you is what a wonderful, kind, smart and thoughtful person he is and how he adored by so many people.

When Alan announced on Facebook that his book had been published and that there was going to be a launch party for it at the end of October, well it got the wheels in my head spinning right away. I wanted to put his book cover on a rock as a commemorative gift of the occasion. I found the perfect rock and got to working on it right away. It took me three weekends to get it finished because of all the details.

All those tiny books! Thank goodness for my lighted magnifier!

The last part was the lettering. I really didn't want to screw it up at this point, so I carefully covered the top part of the rock so as not to accidentally get any paint on it while I worked on the lettering.

Finally the day arrived for the book launch. It was held at the Fairhope Library, where he works and there was quite a crowd. 

Take a closer look at those cookies.

Alan gave a presentation followed by a Q & A. Guests were then invited to purchase a book and wait in line for him to sign it. Megan and I had already purchased our books on Amazon, so we were near the front of the line. Here is Megan and me with Alan holding up my rock. He was very surprised.

It was a nice evening and it was great to see all the support in the room for Alan. If you would like a copy of his book, it's available HERE.

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In other rock painting news, I took a trip to my favorite rock store to get more rocks for painting bibles, as I have had many requests for them. I foraged through tons of rocks to find just the right sizes and shapes. It took me probably over an hour. This is the lot I came home with.

While I was there, I met with Fran, the owner of the store and I presented her with one of my forest moon rocks. She loved it so much, she asked me for 6 painted rocks for her friends back in Dallas TX. She said she wanted them all different. One of her friends, she said, was an author, so I asked more about her and she mentioned the title of a book her friend recently published. I looked it up on Amazon and was intrigued.

I thought I might try and focus on the hand holding the globe and I worked on it all last weekend. It was quite challenging painting something round on a curved surface as well as something made of glass. Also, I wasn't really sure what was inside the globe. Was it angel wings or a butterfly? I didn't know, but I just went with it, lol.

I added some glitter paint to the center and the snow on the bottom, so it sparkles in the light. I sent her a photo and she liked it. I hope her friend likes it too.

Today I have to get to work on finishing a stack of bibles. The open book is the big question.

What to write inside? Hmmm.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Furry Friday!

Look at those faces! Just look at those little faces! Those sweet little faces! Can you believe that someone dumped this litter of puppies in the middle of the road in my development at 10:30 at night? It is scary to think that there are evil people walking among us, people with no heart, no conscience, no empathy. Fortunately there are also angels among us who are put in just the right place at just the right time, people who remind us there is still goodness in this world.

It just so happens that the young woman that saved these puppies works at a doggie daycare that is affiliated with a dog rescue which has already taken in these furry angels. They will get vetted, receive medical care and be put up for adoption soon. Supposedly they are a beagle/dachshund mix and all female. I want one, but I don't think I'm ready for a puppy. I know Zoey would love it, but just the thought of potty training is exhausting. There is so much interest in these babies, that I'm sure they'll all get adopted in no time, so I'm not worried.

A week before this happened, 20 cats were found inside a truck belonging to a lady who was traveling from Florida to Arkansas. She was staying in a local hotel and an employee heard faint meowing from the truck. She called the police and the cats were brought to our local shelter. They were crammed in just a few crates with no food, water or litter. They were close to death, but thank goodness, saved in time to get medical care. They too are getting vetted and put up for adoption as they are ready. Charges will be pressed against the woman, even though she surrendered the cats. What is wrong with people?

In other news, last week was teacher and staff appreciation week. I was a lucky, lucky girl because the class that was assigned to shower me with appreciation went above and beyond. I got cards, flowers and gifts all week, making me feel so special and part of my school family for the first time.

Lots of great cards!

Snacks and even a bandanna!

Flowers, dog treats, a hummingbird feeder and a candle.

The class's room mom had a lot to do with getting all this great stuff. I found out she called my manager and asked me what kinds of things I like, what I'm interested in, etc. She really went above and beyond. I was sure to thank her as well as the class. It really was a great week and it couldn't have come at a more perfect time after the previous week with my dad's funeral and all. Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment and express your thoughts and prayers here on my blog. I cannot even begin to tell you how much that meant to me. You all are the best!

There are only two more weeks left of school and then I'm off for summer break until August 6. Woo! As this school year ends, there are some employees that are retiring and our librarian is one of them. There will be a party for her next week and I wanted to make her a little gift, so I had this rock....

Have a great Friday and a fabulous weekend! 

First Week of School Down And Some Rocks.

Although I've been back at work since August 7th, this past week was the first one with students. They started on Monday, the day of the eclipse. Turkey sandwiches were on the menu, so we didn't have to cook, which was great. We originally planned for the kids to have sack lunches to take outside for the big event, but they ended up eating inside and going out afterwards. 

We spent a lot of time the two weeks prior cleaning and decorating the cafeteria. My manager had some tension style curtain rods and we made up paper banners to hang in the windows. I created the one above. Our new assistant manager made this school bus banner below. She is crafty too.

Our theme this year was emojis, so we each made one with our likenesses. lol. 

And we put more around the cafeteria for fun.

So being back at work means less time for painting rocks. I have 7 weekends until the fall pop up market to get more inventory made. I have about 35 rocks so far, but I'd like to have 50. Yesterday I put on Pandora and got busy. I made one rock for inventory and also got some done for hiding. It's been a long time since I hid any rocks. My hubby even got into the action. Here are some we made and placed around town yesterday.

Some simple love rocks made using Frog tape and assorted glitter nail polish.

These are strawberries I had started a long time ago, but never got around to
putting the seeds on. I used paint pens instead of a brush which worked out better.

These are hubby's rocks. He really got into making and also hiding them.
I even added him as a member of our rock group.

And this is the rock I made for my fall market inventory. I love how it came out.

Punkins!

I made this gator last weekend. He's pretty cool.

And this is a book of spells I made two weekends ago. Yes, it's a rock. I found it in a pile of
dirt that was being dug up for a drainage project in our local park. It's really bumpy on the back, but
the shape just screamed out "I'm a book!"

So that's what's been going on in my world lately. I have some Furry Friday catching up to do, so maybe I'll do a pet post soon. Have a great Sunday!

I Have Rocks in My Head!

I thought I would show you some of the rocks I've done since my last post.

I really love this donut. I may not be able to part with it.

I made another book, but this time I made it into a Holy Bible.

I plan to hide this in a church on a pew.

I painted this strawberry for the friend and neighbor that started our rock group.

I knew that she was growing strawberries in her backyard, so I made this one just for her.

Here it is in process. I use photos for reference.

I tried my hand at dotting. I used nail heads of different sizes to make the effect.

They sell dotting tools which are made for people that do nails, (with polish). I took the cheap way out and it worked just fine. I made some quick rocks for the fourth of July.

They're supposed to look like fireworks. Hubby doesn't get it. lol. I got a little goofy with the last one on the lower right, but I was experimenting. These will be good to hide around town just before the fourth.

On Saturday, my neighbor texted me and asked, "If I bring you a rock, will you paint a shamrock on it? I'll pay you." I said, "Sure," (thinking it was a fairly easy task). Oh nay nay! She showed up with TWO rocks. On one, she wanted me to paint a Gothic "A" with a couple of shamrocks on either side. On the second one, she wanted a shamrock but in a mandala style, (which she liked after seeing a photo of one on the internet). I tried to copy it, but mine came out way different. She wanted me to incorporate the color orange. So here is that one (without clear coat).

I wasn't sure she'd like it, but she loved it.

And here is the Gothic "A." It's a bigger rock. I think it's for a wedding gift.



She loved it. Yippee!!

I have an Irish friend in another state that saw these and said she wanted to see me make more Celtic designs. I remembered that her anniversary is just about a week away, so this morning I made this next one as a gift for her and her husband. I happen to know that she loves this Claddagh symbol.



 I hid a couple of rocks around town yesterday. I've been driving by the high school football stadium every day and there's always a bunch of people there. On Sunday, after taking Megan to work, I passed by and it was deserted. I climbed to the highest point and left a rock there. No idea if anyone found it.



I hid a couple of others to, but nobody has posted a photo on our group page. Not sure people know what to do with them. We have little tags that we can put with each rock, but I haven't done that. I may though. Anyway, that's what I've been up to. Have any of my readers out there tried painting rocks yet? If so, do tell and let me know if you post a photo anywhere. I want to see!

Happy Monday!

My daughter the illustrator!

This boy playing the drums is one of my favorites. Megan put
a lot of time into drawing that drum kit.

You may recall that over the winter Megan was commissioned to illustrate a children's book. Well, it was finally published and I got a copy so I can now share with you some of her wonderful artwork. I wish I could show you the original digital copies because they are stunning, brighter and clearer, but they are owned now by the author, so instead I have the next best thing, the book itself!

It's actually a soft, thin paperback and it's written for parents to show and share the concepts of physics and geometry with their children. Even though the subject matter may seem too advanced for pre-schoolers, the author claims that they will actually absorb it on some level.


Before I show you more of Megan's work, I want to share with you the cover art from the author's first book which was illustrated by a different artist. It's charming and sweet. Below is an example of two of the characters already conceived by the author and first illustrator that Megan was given to work from. There were 26 different characters. For the second book, Megan was given prompts by the author for the concepts that were to be conveyed for each page along with a specific character.

Illustration for first book done by
a different artist.

Megan really brought them all to life. Just take a look.... 

Again, the original digital copies are so much nicer. If these had been printed on glossy paper, they'd really pop. Still, I'm so proud of the work she did here. It was something completely different for her and I think she nailed it perfectly!

If you or someone you know is interested in Megan's work, you can go to her website HERE to access all her links and commission information.