I'm sure many of you know this is my dear friend and AJJ co-administrator Erika's current blog header. This is the message I get no matter how much I try. Sorry, Iris, F5 didn't help. This is the same message I have gotten for at least three days. I will leave comments when blogger lets me and I will also publish my T Tuesday post even if I'm still getting the above message. Have a stress free weekend everyone. I'm hoping to, also, especially if Blogger decides to cooperate.
It's Friday, which means it's time to join Friday Smiles, hosted by Annie (at A Stitch in Time). Let's visit Annie and the other wonderful ladies who also share their smiles each Friday. I'm starting to get more and more "Failed to Publish," and again, nothing I try helps. In fact, while playing catch up, I have not been able to leave a single comment. I have about a dozen people I've left comments to that have failed.
This past week, I have been mostly tied to my computer, as I am visiting people I normally do not as a result of being the guest designer at Try it on Tuesday this fortnight. And I can never seem to get ahead at AJJ (more on that shortly). When not on the computer, I'm either eating, sleeping, feeding the cats, or creating more art as I show below. Of course, I'm also showering and brushing my teeth, but you probably don't care about any of that.
What you do want to know is I'm working on more pages in my latest altered book. You can see the backgrounds I created here and here. Also, here are the first set of pages I created. I'm also joining Aimeslee, our host this month at Art Journal Journey and her Anything Goes theme.
These are my next pages in my new altered book. Page 9 started with a sandstone background to which I added the kitty sent to me by Sami in Australia. I tried to stamp what I thought was a postmark, but now I'm not sure what it's supposed to be. I do know that is an arrow I stamped onto the very rough background using black dye ink. Sami also sent me the cat I show on Page 10. All the previous stamps had been clear cling stamps, so when I placed the "Courage" red rubber stamp on my acrylic block (I used brown ink), I was shocked I had stamped it upside down. I can definitely see the appeal of clear stamps now! 
Page 11 has a postage stamp sent to me by CJ and Ink. The heart is from my stash. Page 12's postage stamp came from (I believe) Jo. The sentiment (Play with me) was supposed to be a rub-on, but it no longer has the ability to rub. I cut it out and used it as is.
I received the stamp from Sami that I used on Page 13. Because there were both cats and dogs, I included a pet paw sticker. The cat on Page 14 was another one sent to me by Erika. I originally tried to use a fish stencil on the background, but the ink just didn't take. Instead, I used two more rub-ons that I fussy cut to go with the sailor cat. Seems I cropped the tin of sardines a bit too close.
Page 15 started with another of the cute kitties sent to me by Erika. To it I added washi tape and stamped "Pretty Kitty" on the metallic paint chip using black dye ink. As I was working on Page 16, an image from my stash, I accidentally ran my arm over the word "kitty." I was surprised that it smeared. Dye ink dries quickly, so why didn't this? I finally realized it was because the metallic paint chip had been coated with something that didn't allow the ink to seep into the paper. I then went to Plan B and cut a tag to which I stamped the words. For Page 16, I cut a small tag to which I wrote the word "Stretch" using my gold Posca pen.
Bleubeard, Squiggles, and I wish you a very happy and fun filled weekend. This childless cat lady thanks you for spending part of your Friday here. Bleubeard and I would love to see you at Friday Smiles and Art Journal Journey, too.
I'm once again joining Aimeslee at Paper-Paisleys Art Adventures who is our host this month at Art Journal Journey. Her theme is Anything Goes.
For two days I showed backgrounds I created. You will find them here and here.
This is my new altered book. It is all about cats. These are Pages 1 and 2. On the left, I started by using a stencil at the top of the paint chip. I then added this gifted cat (thanks Erika). On the right is a U.S. postage stamp from my stash to which I added a bit of washi tape.
On Page 3, I added a punched cat that I colored using Staz-on and 91% isopropyl alcohol. I stamped the word "Purr" in black dye ink. For Page 4, I included another gifted cat from the same set.
The postage stamp on the left (Page 5) came from Sami, who some of you know for hosting Monday Murals. I stamped the word "Mew" in black dye ink, from a set of stamps also sent to me by Erika. The postage stamp on the right (Page 6) was from my stash. I stamped the word "Purr-fection" in black dye ink.
For page 7, the postage stamp was another one gifted me by Sami, as was the one on Page 8. I stamped the word "Meow" in black dye ink on Page 8.
I always try to write a blog post on 9/11 about 9/11. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in world history and the most devastating foreign attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. While 2,996 people were killed that day, 2,605 were U.S. citizens, including 2,135 civilians. Three hundred seventy two were non-U.S. citizens. Among those who died, 67 individuals were from the UK, 47 from the Dominican Republic, and 41 from India. In total, more than 90 countries lost citizens in the four attacks. This is truly a global remembrance, and one we should never, ever forget. As long as I have a blog and am cognizant, I will try to remember to pay tribute to those who died on that day 23 years ago today.
Looking back on some of the posts I have written in the past, I will simply share a few of the memes I found from that day.
Feel free to share your own 9/11 memories on this day that is embedded in our brains and one we who lived through it will never forget.
I forgot today was Monday and I may be late with this post because my internet is slow this time of the day. I've been telling Lyn (Spyder) that I have some of these same teapot and cup combinations. 
Here is one I got at a charity shop (aka Goodwill). I got it cheap because it didn't have a lid.
A close up view of the design.
I've been busy trying to get the rest of the paint chip samples in the book I'm making and that's why I forgot today was Monday and time for T Tuesday.
I showed you the first six backgrounds yesterday. Technically, Rita was right yesterday when she said I should only have 16 pages. But I counted and I thought I had 24 inside pages, not including the covers. I was wrong. I have 32 inside pages and the front and back covers will make 34. How could I have been so wrong? And I thought math was my strong suit. Above are pages 7 (seven) and 8 (eight). That is the yellow page I forgot yesterday. The color sample on the right is a sandstone texture sample, also by Ralph Lauren.
These are backgrounds 9 and 10. I used some old German text to compliment the brown on the right.
Backgrounds 11 and 12 are green sandstone and green metallic. I'm trying to make the embellishments a bit different each time.
Now we are getting to some of my favorite colors in backgrounds 13 and 14. Sandstone on the left and metallic on the right.
Backgrounds 15 and 16 are both metallics. The embellishment on the left is a gifted page from a book from a church. The one on the right is shorthand, definitely a lost art.
Background 17 is another sandstone paint chip sample. The book page is either Japanese or Chinese.
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