Hi, I'm Torrey. Welcome to Left Field, where creativity runs amok and imagination is ALWAYS more important than knowledge. Shoes are not allowed but ties are optional. This is a repository of snippets from my life out here in Left Field. One never knows what shiny bits of creativity will be found here... cards, scrapbook layouts, photography, poetry, recipes, ponderings, rantings and musings. It could be anything! Life in Left Field is always changing, always real, always ...interesting.

January 27, 2012

I Got Sunshine

It's challenge time, again, over at CCCC! This week's challenge is sponsored by the generous folks at 


The theme is "Thinking of You/Missing You". I chose this happy image from Dearie Dolls. There is something about sunflowers that always makes me smile...they're like little happy bits of sunshine. So when I went to photograph my card...I waited until I got the sun back-lighting the sunflowers to give them that extra glow factor.

I used kraft paper as the background of the image and for the card base. I paper-toled the image in several places...and, apparently, went a bit overboard with the white highlight pen. Oh well....makes her look shiny.

Ingredients:

Girl image - Dearie Dolls (Sunflower Smiles)
banner - Bombshell Stamps (Banner Sayings)
Nestability die - Spellbinders (Lacey Oval)
patterned paper - K&Co., Scenic Route
Prismacolor colored pencils
gel pen - Sakura
ribbon and flowers - Michaels
stamping ink - Ranger
kraft colored cardstock

I apologize for the lack-luster post here...it's just about all I can muster getting this posted. This demon respiratory bug has now moved to my chest and it's not releasing its grip. Hmmm, I wonder...is this what they used to call the "grippe"??? If so, I know why they call it that...it just hangs on with iron claws.

January 16, 2012

That's Mucus to My Ears...

'Round these parts, one can hear the incessant sniff snifffffffffff followed by that unmistakable honking call of the Rhinovirus Congestiae bug (yeah, I made that up, but it sounds good--so go with it).

It's come to roost at my house...for that matter, it's come to nest...not ON my head, but IN my head.

I imagine it looks sort of like this (but a bit puffier and more...slimy).


I've never actually seen it but I just KNOW this is what the evil creature looks like. It has multiple arms to grab hold and not let go. It's zombie green with lovely spots of aubergine. And it's not alone. It brought friends. LOTS of friends. They make my voice sound like George Burns after 100 years of smoking cigars. So I wrote a poem which I have titled: Rhinovirus Congestiae (because that's what I do...write poems).

Rhinovirus Congestiae
by Torrey

A visitor came calling the other day
his intentions, I think, were pure evil.
His name is Rhinovirus Congestiae.
He was tiny and looked like a weevil.

He has three pairs of legs (or maybe they’re arms)
And a big toothy grin he keeps flashing.
He may look quite odd (but that's one of his charms)
and his aubergine spots are quite smashing.

It was right then and there, I made the mistake
I invited him in for a visit.
He slithered right past me (just like a snake)
I should have known then...I admit it.

He brought his whole family (and most of his friends)
…they rolled in like a thick bank of fog
Now they’re happy and thriving and doing backbends
…and I’m lying here sick as a dog


While this may sound amusing,  It's SNOT funny to me.

I've gathered my arsenal and am combating (which I think really SHOULD be spelled combatting) these unwanted guests: nasal washes, fluids, vitamin C, nebulizer treatments, rest and Kleenex...LOTS of Kleenex.

I raise my glass of Nyquil in a toast to my victory.

I WILL win.

January 13, 2012

Touch o' Glitter

Wow, these weeks between the challenges at CCCC just fly by! Before ya know it...ZIP!! It's time for another one!

This week's challenge is all about a touch o' bling...aka "Glitter Latte" (add some glitter on your card). It's sponsored by Sassy Studios. I used the I'm Every Woman - Pedi Party image. Who doesn't love a pedicure? It's the ultimate in indulgence! Sadly, I don't indulge as often as I like and my toes are looking pretty raggedy right now...guess I'll go put socks on and cover these sad puppies up

Here is my card. I'm really into the color combo of red and turquoise. I added just a TOUCH of glitter using a glitter pen to accent the background and the bubbles and a glittery organza ribbon.


Ingredients:
Pedicure image - Sassy Studio
Prismacolor Colored Pencils
Nestability dies - Spellbinders (Labels Ten)
bubble edge punch - EK Success for Martha Stewart
Organza ribbon - Creative Impressions
Pearl accents - Michaels
glitter pen - Sakura
Patterned paper
cardstock

January 9, 2012

Startin' the year off right!

There were two birthdays this week, in my little corner of the universe--my mom's and my father-in-law's (whom I call Fred...though his name is William--but that's a different story). This means I had to drag myself out of my cookie-induced stupor (which was complicated by a cocoa coma and egg nog fog). "Why a cookie stupor?", you ask. Well, I get to credit it to my mother-in-law, Judie. When she and Fred were visiting us just after Christmas...she taught me how to make Spritz cookies. We had a blast!

We made a LOT of Spritz cookies. Like 18 dozen. They are cute and fun...and they are tasty. They go down easy...a little too easy--thus, the cookie stupor from which I suffered so. The white ones are SUPPOSED to be camels. Personally, I think they look like unshorn sheep or maybe clouds...or popcorn. I guess my Spritz skills could use refining.


OH! I almost forgot...I learned something VERY interesting about those little silver candy ball cookie decorating thingies...you know what I'm talking about, silver dragees. They look like shiny little BBs and will break your teeth if you're not careful. DID YOU KNOW....the FDA does NOT consider these to be edible??? Are they serious? What are we supposed to do? Put them all over our baked goods then pick 'em off before we eat??

On the bottle it clearly states "For decorative purposes ONLY...not edible." So, I looked it up online. Whatya know. They contain REAL silver, and early on in the 20th century, they USED to contain trace amounts of MERCURY (lovely)...this is what earned them the "non-edible" status. They have since revamped the recipe and they are supposedly safe to eat now (they still contain silver)...BUT, the state of California has banned the sales of these...and even though they are "safe"...and the FDA STILL makes the manufacturers put "non-edible" on the labels. Maybe they really are BBs.

Ok, enough about cookies and toxic decorations...on to the birthday cards.

I found a new cartoonist that just cracks me up. I love his goofy characters and tongue-in-cheek, wry sense of humor. His name is Ron Leishman. If you click on his name, it will take you to his website. I suggest you peruse his "New Toons" section--but be prepared to spend a great deal of time perusing...there are over 200 pages of images (236 to be exact, but who's counting). ALSO...he has a "Toon-A-Day" site that offers FREE images to download!!! You heard it! And, it's FREE to join! The images are in color...but that's easy enough to remedy. Just use your paint bucket fill tool in Photoshop and color the colored parts white--voila...you have a black-outlined image without color.

He is seriously funny.

The first card I made was for my father-in-law (Fred). Fred is an AVID gardener, so this image was PERFECT for his card (besides, it LOOKS like Fred). I did tweak the image a bit...I removed the contents of the wheelbarrow and dropped in presents instead--so it was more birthday-y.

I made the entire card white...except the image. It made for a STRIKING card that really highlighted the image.


Ingredients:
Image - Ron Leishman
Birthday stamp - Stampabilities
Prismacolor Colored pencils
embossing folders - Provo Craft
grass edge punch - EK Success for Martha Stewart
rick-rack
cardstock


My next card was for my dear mom. She's gone absolutely cuckoo for Marjolein Bastin birdhouses. Her entire bathroom is totally Marjolein'd out. It looks fabulous, but I kid her a lot about it being "for the birds". This image reminded me of my mom--she's a very handy-lady type of woman. She's ALWAYS hammering something. And thus, her birthday card was born...er, hatched. I even decorated the envelope to match. Remind me next time not to use reddish brown as the "outline shadow" for the image...it makes her look like she's radioactive or something. Oh well, live and learn.


Here is what's inside:

Ingredients:
Image- Ron Leishman
woodgrain texture plate - Fiskars
Prismacolor Colored Pencils
mini brads - Creative Impressions
Distress Ink - Ranger


January 1, 2012

Go Eat Your Black-Eyed Peas!!

Happy New Year, everyone!!! 2012 has arrived...and this is gonna be an interesting year. I can't wait to see what happens when the Mayan calendar runs out.

In the meantime...I wanted to remind y'all to GO EAT YOUR BLACK-EYED PEAS!! Why?, you ask....well....if you REALLY wanna know the history, I'll tell ya.

You do???

SWEET.

Well, to commemorate this tradition, I made a scrapbook page a few years ago on this very subject...the journaling tells the tale. Don't strain your peepers, I'll post it here:

Happy New Year...now go eat your black-eyed peas. 

"Why?" you ask. Well, I'll tell ya. But first, you gotta eat a spoonful. I know some people think they're yucky, but it's tradition! It all started back during the Civil War (or as my forefathers called it..."The War Of Northern Aggression"). Back then, people didn't eat black-eyed peas. They were grown solely to feed cows. That's why they're also called cowpeas. So, it is rumored in the city of Vicksburg, following 40 days of fighting, there were no provisions getting in or out of the city and folks were gettin' powerful hungry. So as not to starve, they ate the only thing they had--cowpeas. Ever since then, it has been tradition (especially in the southern states) to eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day. They're supposed to bring good luck for the coming year (because eating such a lowly, simple food shows how humble and worthy of good fortune you are). Ever since I was knee-high to a cricket, I've been eatin' black-eyed peas on New Year's Day...and I make certain EVERYBODY I know (including my cat) eats 'em too. Heck, we could all use a little good luck.