Happy 4th of July Everyone!

Heat, humidity, possible t-storms...yup.. it's definitely July 4th! Oh yeah...the neighborhood fireworks have been going on the past couple of nights as well and poor Sassy is beside herself. She doesn't know where to hide and we've finally taken to given her just a small piece of her acepromazine to calm her down somewhat. Feel so bad for her and the real test will be tonight when the city fireworks go on.

Enjoy the day everyone...be safe!

A year....really a year???

I cannot believe that it's been a year since I last posted. So much has gone on...additional foot surgery due to the accident in 2008, developing new products, a much-needed weekend in Florida and dealing with animals who are popping up with more problems as they age.

Snow has done so well over the past 2 years and now has a serious heart murmur and kidney failure. Of course, she does not like the prescription KD so I've found some food that has very low crude protein (not quite as low as KD) but lower than most of the foods out there. She's also on Renal K for her potassium.

Sassy has had MRSA (yeah...animals can get it!) and has been on all kinds of antibiotics. Finally found one that has pretty much cleared it up. She's also been diagnosed with hypothyroidism so is on medication for that as well as allergy meds.

Jaz, so far, is just on pepcid for his stomach issues.

Those meds, along with the ones my dad takes are lined up on the kitchen counter....no wonder I'm on anti-anxiety meds myself!

Still finding time to work on orders and we've done some really special ones this year including the memorial box shown here. I just love it because it looks as if "Pi" is staring right up to Heaven.

Don't know when I'll post next....great plans....no follow through!

Firemen DO save cats!

I got the biggest kick out of this story. Our youngest son is a full-time firefighter in a small town in NH and not much goes on during the week. A little while ago, they got a call from the police asking them if they were not busy if they could go and rescue a cat that was caught in a rock. The owner had called the Humane Society, Animal Rescue and the police to no avail but the police decided to find out if the fire department could help out. Nobody knew exactly what the woman meant by "caught in a rock" but they soon found out.

Not knowing what to expect, our son and the other fireman went over to the woman's house and she was begging them to put the cat down because it was suffering from what she had seen. It turns out that the cat had become wedged between a boulder that had been split in the middle and it just couldn't get out. Well these two heroes got out the jaws of life, broke open the boulder and out ran the cat, perfectly okay. So....firemen may not go up trees any more but they do save cats caught in rocks! At least in a small town in NH, they do!! Needless to say.....being such an animal lover that I am, I am very proud of these 2 guys! Four-legged members of families are extremely special and deserve to be saved!

So much for grand plans!

Really.....honestly....I DID plan on starting up with the home shows again this spring and to write on a regular basis but so many things got in the way (things that are called LIFE in general) so the idea is to start up in the fall. I have kept up with posting on Facebook under the Heart to Hand Creations page so I have done something! Will post when we do start up the shows and let you know if things went the way they did when we first started them in 1996. It will be all new artisans so the chemistry will be new.



Finished this plaque as an order for Mother's Day. Normally I don't paint on slate but did enjoy it for a change. We are so used to working with wood. Am now working on another pet memorial box and a house portrait.

Visit us at http://www.hearttohandcreations.com/ www.etsy.com/hrt2hand

Home Shows

You know.....I've decided it's time to get back to doing home shows again. Did them for nearly 10 years and gave them up a couple of years ago to concentrate on other venues. Have talked to some friends who are willing to do them with me so I guess I'll get out all the information, invitations, you name it and see about re-organizing it all. They really are a lot of fun and such low overhead when you consider all the other costs to marketing your work.

A little late for me to organize a Valentine brunch at my house (which is the way we used to kick off each season of shows) but I do have an excuse since I just had surgery on my foot (second one since a car accident....not our fault!....a year and a half ago). Aiming for late March for the first one this time around.

Will keep you all posted.....and if any of you are interested in how we did them in the past, I'd be glad to help out with info!!

For all you New Englanders.....think Spring!!

www.hearttohandcreations.com www.hrt2hand.etsy.com

Sad Story

We just got an order for a memorial portrait (on a jar) of a beautiful golden retriever. Ari's family took her to the vet for her annual check up and inoculations (she was 8), brought her home, and she immediately had trouble standing, breathing and just being. She was rushed back to the vet's where she was diagnosed as being in anaphylactic shock due to the injection (which she had many times before). She didn't make it which makes this story so sad. We think we are protecting our beloved 4-footed friends.....you just never know. There is so much written today about the pros and cons of the various shots and treatments for our pets and it makes you wonder. I will post a picture of Ari's jar when it is finished.

On a brighter note, our beautiful white cat, Snow (very original name, don't you think?!) was diagnosed with breast cancer a year ago October, has had 2 surgeries and is supposed to be living on borrowed time. Well....let me tell you....she's borrowing that time from everyone! We certainly didn't expect to have her longer than 6 months so we are thrilled and enjoy each and every day we have with her.



Recent memorial portrait.

Come visit us at www.hearttohandcreations.com

Hungry dog!

Well...I guess we have proof that our lids for the pet treat jars are non-toxic! We were at a show this past weekend and a customer approached me about ordering a lid for the jar she had purchased 2 years ago. It seems her dog got hold of the first lid and ate it! No side effects!! Only thing I can figure out is that the lid must have smelled like dog treats! I am now awaiting new photos of the dog so I can do the second lid for her. Love the custom orders with the custom stories!

A couple of our recent custom orders..."River", the Golden Retriever whose jar was a first birthday present to him; "Bob the Mouse" is an ACEO magnet; and "Sampson the Cat" was a memorial gift from a client to a friend.

Come see us at www.hearttohandcreations for gift ideas!!