Tea on Tuesday

And the birthday goodies keep on coming!!!

Today I got two surprise packages in the mail- one from my brother- a box FULL of books!! Two favorites were one on altered book making, and another on DIY Renegade Crafters. I lent the books to my mom to read, so I can't tell you the exact titles!!!

The other was a little package with dancing, glittery kewpie babies on the outside of the envelope, from Kimmie at art in red wagons!
What a lovely surprise - a brown package nicely tied in yarn, with a beautiful altered puzzle piece - cowboy, horse and little cowboy hat!!!I love it!!! I now own an original by Kimmie!!! Woohoo!!! Inside the package was a bag of tea leaves, from Everything Tea, in Kimmie's home town of Snohomish.

Of course, the timing couldn't have been better- guess what my tea for Tuesday is?????It is delicious, and so aromatic - I am still trying to identify the ingredients...............

I brewed up a batch, and instead of one of my many pottery mugs, I filled my rarely used Prince Albert China tea cup, and perused and devoured all the books from my brother. I was also enjoying the last piece of my 'featherweight' pound cake, and the last surviving flowers ( now dried statice) from the birthday bouquet from my mom.One can only extend her birthday so far...............!!!LOL My birthday month has come to an end!!


There is a quote somewhere - maybe from CS Lewis - there can never be enough tea or enough books................that about sums it up!!

Thank you Kimmie SO MUCH!!! And, thanks brother Bill- good job on the books!!!

Be sure to visit Kimmie and Patty and all our other tea loving friends for tea today. Feel free to join us on Tuesdays- what's in your tea cup?????

Only Three More..............................

Slowly, but surely, the numbers are creeping up!!I only need 3 more followers to reach 75, and then I will have the drawing. I will number all my followers- old and new,1-75, and have the random number generator pick a lucky one to win the Japanese knot bag, filled with tea and other goodies!

So, tell your friends, and keep your fingers crossed that the random number generator picks you!!!

And, thanks so much for following!

Half Square Triangle Tutorial by Gene

Check out my bloggy friend Gene's great tutorial.

If triangles give you a headache - he has a painlessly simple way to do them, with step by step pix and instructions!!!

Random Giveaway

Just a reminder - when I reach 75 followers- I will be giving away a cute little Japanese knot bag, filled with tea and goodies.
I am soooo close- 66 followers, just a few more to reach that goal of 75!!!
Won't you please join and follow me - I'll try to keep it interesting!!!!

Please go to this post, leave a comment and follow me (said the Pied Piper....!)!!!

Tea on Tuesday

There are no words, except............Aaaaahhh............

Mirror, Mirror, on the....... Ground???

I found it!!! I was wracking my brain, trying to remember which blog I had seen a wonderful little fairy "pond", which had inspired me to create mine!!! After spending waaay too much time revisiting the blogs I have read over the weekend, I finally re-found Lisannerosalie!

I wanted to give credit where credit was due, even tho my little "pond" is no where near finished, and certainly not as cute as hers!!!

I put my little fairy pond in the lavender garden in a dry patch of dirt that was impatiently awaiting more lavender!!! I am not sure if the fairies will show up - but the hummingbirds and the toads certainly will!!

I used river rock, and am already having a vision of another little "pond" using more colorful rocks my mom collected for me in her travels over the years. And, yet another,could be created in an indoor dish garden. Another one I hope to attempt indoors is in a terrarium - similar to what Rowans Art has done! I happen to have a very similar Victorian style terrarium, sitting empty on my porch. Herbs or African violets, surrounding a fairy pond would be just the thing!

Small mirrors can be found in interesting shapes and sizes. And, I think repurposing a shard of broken mirror in this way, would dispel the 7 years bad luck threatened by a broken mirror!!!!

Mirrors, especially antique hand held ones, have always held a fascination for me- as I have written in a previous post, in another blog, long, long ago......
Altho I don't look into them as much any more,age has erased that craving(!)-I love to look thru them and wonder who has been reflected there before, and what have they seen. The images these old looking glasses have absorbed......if only they could reveal them to us!

The day was a bit overcast as I tried snapping a few photos of the little "pond" - in this one, you can catch a glimpse of lavender buds and maybe a bit of cloud....



(Don't forget - - become a follower- giveaway when I reach 75 followers!!)

Is It Time for Another Giveaway?????

It might just be................

This is my 113th post and I have 60 followers - woohoo!!!! If I could get it to 75 followers, I might just have to have a goodie giveaway!!!

I have been neglecting my country blog in favor of this one, but I need to step it up on both!!!More creativity here, more writing and pix there! Oh, the pressure!! LOL

What shall the giveaway be...................maybe a little Japanese knot bag of my own design stuffed full of tea and artful goodies? Most of my bags and totes are made of recycled and vintage items. This particular bag is made out of a placemat, with a floral fat quarter remnant. Just the right size for a cell phone, wallet, and makeup, or your crochet needles and a ball of yarn.

If that tickles your fancy, leave a comment and sign up to be a follower. If you have been lurking in the cyber shadows, now is the time to sign up!!

As soon as I reach 75, I will have the random number generator pick a number out of all my followers.

Music Review

Time out for a nepotistic plug - check out this blog - a music review for the young, urban, and hip. That kind of leaves me out( you can tell by my use of the word "hip"- LOL!) - but it's a great way to expand your musical parameters. Music is in the ear of the beholder.................................and my son has widened my scope beyond the traditional.

Click here

Etsy Shop Closeout!

My Etsy shop has not had alot of traffic of late. Even tho it is inexpensive to keep, I am thinking of closing it for now and just using eBay for awhile. Just too many things to keep track of!!!
So, from now until Monday, Aug 24th, all items are 20% off, with the mention of "blogger".
So, spread the word, click on the links
You never know - there might just be something you HAVE to have there!! :>)

Tea on Tuesday

I am posting this a little early - don't peek til tomorrow!!! I have alot of running around to do tomorrow - and know I won't get to posting it in a timely manner!!!

Last year, I found a neat hunt scene padded box at the thrift store. Never knew what it was for, but I would find a use for it.

Last week, I was on eBay and came across the same box - it holds tea!! Sooo, of course I had to bid on it - and got it for 94 cents plus shipping!! What a deal!!!!

This tea is very neat - green tea in individual tin infusers.The history is on the back of the box and also a little blurb on how to drink tea the eastern European way!!

I actually stuck this infuser in one of my little teapots and got several cups of tea out of it - both hot and cold. It is really good!!

Hearts Fall Out...................

I just went to pick up the mail and had lots of little b'day cards- woohoo!!!! There was a fat little envelope with an unfamiliar return address.
It was from Joanne at Pieceful Quilting.
I had won a giveway on her blog - and the prize was a crocheted heart pin cushion. Now, this was a perfect prize - 'cause I collect vintage heart pin cushions (among other things - LOL)
I opened the envelope and hearts fell out!!!! Not only was the delicate little crocheted heart there, but an adorable angel made out of a vintage hankie and blanket stitched hearts, and, if that wasn't enough - a wool felt strawberry needle keeper. Also kind of heart shaped!!

Thank you so much, Joanne - the timing was perfect - and these will go down in my studio and the angel will hang above my sewing machine!!

Thou Shalt Not Steal nor a Borrower Be...................

While checking my other blog yesterday, I noticed a link on my blog stats.

I followed it back to the source and found a religious blog, and there at the top of the blog was one of my photos of my church pew!

There was no indication in his post that the photo was mine ( altho when I went back later, I realized if I clicked on the picture, it would bring the clicker back to my blog).

But, not everyone knows or thinks to do that. It looks like he tried to put another pew photo from Flicker on his site - but it did not go thru. I don't think those pix were his either.

I thought it a little ironic that some of the text of his post was about not coveting and thou shalt not steal...........should he be excused because he is a pastor - or unaware of cyber etiquette?
Maybe I am over reacting - and maybe I should be pleased that he liked my photo enough to use it?

I checked with my friend Patty about this, and she gave me a link to a wonderful blog and a post on art piracy. Tumblefish Studio also has a link to a flicker site where you can see beautiful ATC's
that you can put on your blog - with permission, of course!! You could also create your own!

For right now - I just wrote up a little blurb, that I will try to post permanently in my sidebar- and maybe at the end of every post ( altho that is a pain). I would like to mark all my photos posted as mine - got to figure out how to do that also!!

My words and my photos are important to me.


"Look, but don't touch!
Enjoy, but don't borrow.
Use your own imagination, not mine! Yours is probably better anyway!
Thou shalt not steal!
Always ask permission.

Any art, words, or photos are MINE and copyrighted, unless otherwise indicated!
I always try to give credit where credit is due, and so should you............."

Taking a Stand.................

I am taking a quick break from artsy stuff to step out of my comfort zone and take a stand.

I admit to not being very politically astute, and I don't really follow sports.

But the fact that the Philly Eagles have signed on Michael Vick does irk me.

He savagely mistreated a breed of dogs that is close to my heart. Wouldn't matter the breed - just that fact that he did what he did cannot not be righted by fines and jail time.

Rehearsed and pre written sound bites do not make me believe he is a changed person. Actions speak louder than words and I see no action behind the script.......

I discovered a great blog that expresses it more eloquently than I can - and there is a link to sign a petition about Vick.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.........................

I Am an Artist

I AM AN ARTIST

"i am an artist when i follow a line where it leads me.
i am an artist when i find a face in a cloud or watch the light change the shape of a hill.
i am an artist when i discover shadows made by the moon, or trace patterns in the sand, or whin i name the colors inside a shell.
i am an artist when i look through a sun shower for a rainbow. i am an artist when i find one.
i am an artist when i notice that the sea is a mirrow for the sky and when i make something from the things that i collect.
i am an artist when i shoot water loops in the air with the hose or discover pictures in drops of rain.
i am an artist when i cut an apple to see the start inside or when i watch sunlight turn dust to glitter.
i am an artist when i crunch through crusted snow and stop to gather winter's hush around me.
i am an artist when i look at a bird until i feel feathery too and an orange until i know what it is to be perfectly round.
i am an artist when i run my fingers over a shiny pod or across the rough bark of a tree or when i blow on a bull-blown milkweed and it splinters into tiny white puffs or when i pick up a maple-tree seed and send it spinning back to earth by its twin propellers.
i am an artist when i see that the sun comes up in a soft haze and goes down in a fiery blaze.
i am an artist when i wait for a star to streak through the night sky or when i sit very still in the woods and listen.
i am an artist whenever i look closely at the world around me.
and whenever YOU listen and see,
you are an artist too."

...by Pat Lowery Collins



This was on one of the wonderful blogs I follow- nevacoloma
Be sure to stop in and visit her!

I love "I Am an Artist" - it allows me to say I AM an artist, rather than just "artsy"- because, as I told Neva, I do everything on this list, and then some.........................

I'm Cleaning!!!!

It was raining yesterday - so I spent most of the day organizing one section of my studio in the basement. I'm not quite finished - and still have the quilting/sewing side to work on.
But after hours of moving, unpacking, sweeping and re organizing- I now have one clean and workable creative space!!! Ta-da!!!!

The little cubby shelf was a thrift store find for $3.50- it's perfect for my stamps!

And, I even completed a small project last night - a memo board that I have had sitting around for a year, waiting for the husband to do it for me!!! I had a neat vintage picture frame, and a corkboard in an ugly metal frame. Removed the metal, cut the cork to fit, and put it in the frame. It's now hanging over my computer!!! It made all the difference, have a clean work space to to do it on and having all the tools right within reach!!

Inmate Art

I was working all day yesterday on organizing my studio (pix in another post soon).

I came across a pencil sketch I discovered at the thrift store.

It was created by a woman inmate, incarcerated in Illinois. There is apparently a Prisons Foundation Arts and Crafts Show, and her little sketch sold for $20!! I got it for $1 - and I love it!!
That reminded me of some other sketches I had tucked away.

Some years ago, when just out of high school, one of my daughter's friends ended up in jail. He would write to her - not something I encouraged when I found out about it. He was not an artist, but some of the people he knew in jail were. As he explained to her, the inmates were only allowed to have the ink cartridge part of the pen - not the whole pen- that could be used as a weapon! And, I think, at the end of the day, those ink cartridges had to be all accounted for and turned in.

So, with the tiny ink stem, some of these hardened criminals, were able to create some seriously talented art! I only hope, that when released, some of these guys were able to turn their lives around with their art. One of the designs probably tells why the artist was in jail-lifestyle choices......!!!

When discovered, my daughter's letter writing relationship ended, the art was something to be encouraged - the relationship was NOT! I kept the envelopes- they are really beautiful- out of darkness came some light..........................

River Rocks and Cairns

I was passing the time in the horse paddock last night, and started looking for interesting rocks. One thing led to another, and I started stacking them on the fence posts and trying to get that "perfect" photo!

I kind of like the way they turned out - it isn't too difficult with river rocks- their shapes lend themselves to stacking perfectly!

I will have to go check in a bit, to see if they are still stacked, or if a nosy horse or the wind nudged them over!

For some really fancy rock piles, check out:

rock-on-rock-on.com
teamsandtastic.com/RockStacking

It makes you wonder how in the world did they do that - without glue!!!

Historically, rock stacks, or cairns, were used as navigational markers. New Agers in Sedona use them to mark vortices. It's really quite interesting.

Mine aren't anywhere near that impressive or mystical- they are just for fun!!
I couldn't choose my favorite picture out of the 4 cairns, so here are all!!!!!

The Altered Page Disintegration Reveal

I took part in Seth's fantastic Disintegration Collaboration- and really could not figure out what to do with the pieces in my "bundle". I had one idea in sketch form, but it was way too complicated for me to actually do. I am more artsy, than true artist.

So, simple is best, and I simply took the largest part of the bundle, which was a large container lid, and added shards of vintage pottery that have been unearthed as I garden. A large triangular piece of shale in the center completes it.
If you haven't guessed, and I'm sure you haven't(!) this is a very primitive sun dial. Unfortunately, the sun would not oblige while I was taking a picture- but it does really work.

I will set it in the vegetable garden, where most of the pieces originated.

Disintegration Project

I participated in Seth's The Altered Page Disintegration Project a while back. Today is the big reveal - of what everyone did with their weathered objects. My pile of stuff has not made it past the "plan on paper" stage. I don't have the eye to put something together like that, I guess.

But my bloggy friend Kimmie at Art in Red Wagons definitely is one of those with "the eye"!! She has the ability to take such disparate things and put them together in a truly artistically pleasing way. I am amazed. My friend Patty has that talent also. I am jealous!!!

I am not sure if Patty has her reveal up yet, but Kimmie does. Drop over and see what she has created - it's beautiful.

And visit Seth's blog - to see a list of amazingly talented people who can make something wonderful out of nothing, with ease.

And, maybe later today, I will add the sketch of my 'idea' for my reveal...................or maybe not!!!