Travel Around the World Postcard

I just finished my latest postcard for Katrin's Travel Around the World

This time the swap is "visiting" Copenhagen. When I think of Denmark, I always think of Danny Kaye in the old film Hans Christian Andersen!! As a child, I read most, I think, of the stories from HCA.

My theme for the card was easy!!! The actually construction of it, was not!!!

I am still learning how to do all this, and am actually thinking of re-making the card! The layer of vellum I put in between, did not take very well to the glue. I work with what I have on hand - and I do not have alot of the newest supplies that are on the market today!! Might have to remedy that, if I continue to make these!!LOL

My card has a younger Hans looking adoringly (!) at his mermaid, on the back round of the Rundetaarn footwalk, with some story titles floating around. And, I have to put a slash thru the "O" in Kobenhavn!

One of the rules of the postcard, is to use at least one ink stamp image - so I happened to have a swan - which fits in perfectly with The Ugly Duckling! At the bottom, are two of the Royal carriage horses, which I may eliminate in my re-do!!A tiny vintage enameled star hangs over the mermaid head.

Zentangles!!!

The folks at Zentangle now have a blog!! Woohoo!! It's a work in progress, but I know it will be a great one to follow, once they get it up and running!!

These pix are not MY zentangles- I found them so long ago, I don't remember where - so I can't give credit to the artists. I may have seen them in the Zentangle newsletter or somewhere in cyberspace. But, I do have a vintage hand mirror exactly like this - and when I get brave enough, I may give this a shot!!

I have about 5 posts on zentangling I have done - here is one of them. I had been "tangling" a while,(actually long before I knew it had a name other than doodling!) and I think Kimmie got the idea to zentangle on a rock or shell. I tried it on my little white beach rocks- it was fun!!!

If you have nothing to do on this lovely Sunday, drop on over to Zentangle's new blog and try your hand at an artful doodle!!!

Tea Bag Swap

Well, we are getting ready to do a new swap - a tea bag swap!!!

It's very simple. Each person will be paired with a swap partner.

You will pick a favorite tea(or teas)-it can be in a tea bag, or loose tea leaves that you put in a zip lock bag - enough for a cup or two of tea.

I will send you your swap partner's name and email address. You contact the partner for their snail mail address, and swap away!!

It's fun, it's easy, and who knows- you might discover a tea you've never tasted before!!
When you receive your teabag,at your convenience, just write a little post about it (if you have a blog- you don't have to have a blog to participate.)

Here's the list so far:

Pat (that's me)
Judy
Patty
Kimmie
Lori

Mary Helen

You still have time - leave me a comment and your email address, if you are interested- we will close it out at 10 participants.
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**By the way, the fabulous pottery teapot and other pieces shown, are salt-fired Japanese pottery. They were created by Richard Busch of Glenfiddich Farm Pottery, in Leesburg, Va. If you ever get a chance to go to one of his open houses- you should!! He and his wife are lovely people(she runs a cooking school there), he will give you a tour of his kiln room. I miss riding my horse thru the woods and fields to go to his pottery sales!!

Tea on Tuesday

Visit Pat Sloan's blog to see the ADORABLE teacup purses- she has a link to them - and is selling the how-to book!!!!

Went to a tea tasting at Julieanna's on Saturday - and got some goodies - a bag of delicious lemon gunpowder green tea, and an infuser that sits on top of your teacup or mug. It reminds me of an old fashioned porringer!!
The cute little soy candle in a teacup that I made, is in my Etsy shop right now!!!


This week's theme - is The 70's!!I kind of muddled thru them.

Memories of 1971:
*NOT a tea drinker back then (except for maybe Lipton's iced tea)
*The teacher who wore the black arm band protesting THE war
*High school graduation- when I was set loose on the world without a clue or direction
**** THE MUSIC!!!

Stairway to Heaven - Led Zepplin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcL---4xQYA

Imagine, John Lennon
Joy to the World, Three Dog Night
Maggie May, Rod Stewart
It's Too Late, Carole King
You've Got a Friend, James Taylor
Family Affair, Sly and the Family Stone

..................to name a few!!!!!
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I am organizing a teabag swap - if anyone is interested. We will be swapping one on one- a way to share your favorite flavors, and learn about new ones. So far, it is Judy and I- all are welcome!!!
Judy sent me a sample of some wonderful jasmine pearls recently-they were delicious!!

If you are interested (and you don't have to be a Tea on Tuesday "player" to swap), mention that in your comment, with your email address!!When we get up to 10 names, we'll close it out, and I'll let you know who your swap partner is!

Please visit Kimmie for a list of other Tea on Tuesday participants on 70's Tuesday! Please join us - the more the merrier. Brew a cuppa, pull up to the keyboard, and tell us all about it...............

Paper Swap Update

Katrin over at Kreativ Kram has organized postcard swaps with different destinations.

I have participated twice so far, hopefully, my techniques are improving!!! There are some fabulously talented paper artists out there- and I'm a newbie, just dipping my semi-artistic toe in paper waters. It's fun, and I'm learning as I go!!

So far, I've "been to" St. Petersburg (finding out along the way, that my grandmother's Finnish family moved there in the late 1800's), and Liverpool, England.

My original St. Pete's card (and first effort in a postcard trade) was made on an actual vintage postcard - with half Finland and the other half Russia- tipping the proverbial hat to the journey my ancestors made.There is a Russian and Finnish phrase stamped on the back. My swap partner. mamapia, made a fabulous arch of St. Petersburg - that I hope to frame!!!She also included a wonderful little ATC!

The last trip, was to Liverpool - and as much research as I did - the one thing Liverpool is known for is- The Beatles!!!! I had a picture of The Cavern, the club where the Beatles got their start, and placed that over a backround street map, showing the original streets of Liverpool. A poster flapping in the breeze (and I hope it arrived that way and didn't get squished in the mail!:>) ), and the wonderful old buildings along the water in the town. Use of a stamp is always required in making these postcards- and altho my supply is limited, I had a musical one, which was perfect- wafting out of the open door of the club! I sent along one of my zentangle bookmarks also.Refrigerator magnet words came in handy- glued in the doorway. I will be very excited to see my return swap!!!

If you want to see what the other participants created for Liverpool -go here!

Am looking forward to the next location!!!

What a Great Idea!

I was just reading Blue Ridge Boomer's latest post- she just received a happy package in the mail!!

Seems like Downy has a Quilt for Kids project going on. They will send you precut fabric to make a quilt. Your only cost is batting, return postage (and your time).

I just checked out the website and signed up!!! The quilt gallery is full of gorgeous quilts made for the kids! There is even a link to making wheelchair bags/totes- I downloaded that pattern!! You an also donate fabric to the cause.

Here are the links:
Quilts for Kids.org
and
www.Downy.com

Visit BR Boomer's blog to see the fabric she received.

A Very Happy Mailbox !!

My mailbox does a happy dance, when it is filled with things other than bills!! Or, maybe it is really me who does the happy dance........!!!!

Two packages came the other day - one expected, one a surprise.
The surprise was from Barb- a wonderful teapot potholder that I had admired!!! It came with a fabulous piece of bluer than blue fabric!! I love it- the potholder will never touch a pot handle - it is too nice!!!!

The other package was from my swap partner, Angie. We joined a paper swap put together by Woven Letters
I took so many pix - 'cause there was just so much cool stuff in it!!!My computer is slow tonite, so I will only post a couple!!Included were two of Angie's digital art pieces, Australian postage stamps,tiny little coins, a feather, wrappings, all sorts of things!! If you click on her link, you can see what I sent her too. Swapping is such fun!!!

Here are some words of wisdom for the day, from a clothing hang tag in the swap package:

"As a person puts on new garments, giving up the old ones, the Soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones....."Bhargaved Gita

And The OWOH Winner Is................................

....................................Well, first, I want to thank everyone who took the time to stop by and visit! Especially, the few who decided to follow me. Altho, that was not a requirement of the OWOH contest, I really do appreciate it! I am hoping that some of the others who entered, will find me interesting enough to come back and become a follower!!!

I installed a blog counter at the time of the contest, and am astounded at the number of people who do actually stop by! It will be interesting to see if the numbers stay up there, now that OWOH is over.

I love comments, but I love my "lurkers" too!!! Thanks to the blog counter, I now know that people are visiting, and that makes me happy!!!

I am sorry I did not get around to all the OWOH participants- and I am sad to say, I did not even get to visit MY winner's blog!! She had such a lovely giveaway too!!!
Over time, I do promise to try to make it to all the participating blogs. I am a follower of almost all the blogs whose contest I entered- there are so many interesting and talented folks out there in cyberdom!!

And, we all MUST thank Lisa over at Whimsical Bohemian (click on the OWOH logo on my sidebar to visit her) This was an amazing undertaking!!!! She had well over 1,000 participants(beating last year's total!), and I don't know how she kept it all organized, without some hair pulling and late nights at the computer!!! Kudos to Lisa for a job well done!!! Hopefully, we will get to participate in this again next year!

Now, enough chatter- the winner was picked by a disinterested (very!)third party-when told to pick a number between 1 and 221( and that wasn't counting my own comment in the list):

THE WINNER IS #111:

Trianna's Treasures

I looked thru your blog this morning - and have an idea of what you like - now I have a better idea of what to fill the teacup with!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Our Thursday Visitor

To read about it, click HERE!

Snowy Tea Tuesday!!!!

Patty's snow/tea post was quite lovely - and I would love to take my tea cup/mug outside - but balance being a rather tricky feat these days, with snow slick driveways and 3 foot snow drifts- my tea remains indoors!!!

With my rubber soled boots (the better for traction, my dear)my thermals, down vest, waterproof long drover's coat, and mismatched barn gloves, I totter out to the barn, aiming my path down the tire tread tracks left by the tractor. "The ol' man's" warm mash is hugged to my chest. It's hard enough keeping that warm on the trek to the barn - hot tea wouldn't have a chance!!!

But, once back inside, and shed of those extra outer layers, it becomes a TO-TEA-LY TEA-Riffic day! The kettle is always on, and I bounce between S. African Rooisbos, Jasmine Pearls (sent to me in a surprise packie from Judy :>) ) and some goji berry tea.
Another dear friend-also a Judy- sent me a tiny tea book - 365 Things Every Tea Lover Should Know! It is full of quotes, recipes, and tea info. I love it!!

Did you know: "a regular part of Tibetan life is to drink butter tea-made from black tea leave, yak butter and salt."!! MMMMM!!!

In the book is a timely quote from Menicus: "With melted snow I boil fragrant tea." Gee, that is something I could do with all that we have piled outside!!!!

Now, I am off to find my favorite taza de te- and fill it to the brim!!!!

Please feel free to join us for tea every Tuesday- snow or shine!!! Visit Kimmie or Patty for links to other ToT participants!

Another Giveaway

While blog surfing(what else is there to do on a snowy day?)I discovered Rock Hill Designs and their lovely bracelet they are giving away!!! I shouldn't tell you, because I REALLY want it - but that's the rules!1 I have to tell!!! LOL

All You Yarn/Fiber Fanatics Out There.......

Please visit my bloggy friend, Linda's blog! She is helping to spearhead a movement to support American grown alpaca fibers and alpaca farmers. It is important that Americans support American industry!!! Become a locavore in your own state!!!

Click on her link and be sure to add your name to the petition!!!

Tea on a Snowy Tuesday

These pictures are not from today - but they very well could be........the weatherman is telling us we are getting MORE snow this afternoon!!!!

I awoke the other day to snow gently cascading down. I had to pull the curtain aside for a better look - I had just gotten used to having the grass under my feet/boots, and the occasional warm day!

It snowed for 12 hours straight, leaving about 10 inches, a bit easier to accept than the 2 feet we got last time!!!

As I sipped my hot Lemon Zinger- I gazed out at the fluffed up little birds who depend on me for breakfast early every morning. They were down in the field, finishing up the last of the cracked corn that the deer left behind. I put out their breakfast and then sat back as they flew back to "join" me for tea!

I drank ALOT of tea this weekend - keeping warm inside most of the time,making more teacup bird feeders and sewing up wool and yo-yo pin cushions. I also made a yo-yo brooch for a swap - but can't show that one yet!! I kind of like the way they turned out - I have not made yo-yo's in a really long time!!! The yellow pincushion is much more vibrantly colored than the picture shows.I have a very tiny stash of hand dyed wool, that really needs to be used up! Not sure where these two pin cushions will end up - on Etsy,or as a surprise in the mail to someone...............

Here is a pic of a wonderful thrift store find- a ceramic tea caddy - a Williamsburg reproduction from their Tea Time Collection. This piece was adapted from mid to late 18th century tea wares. So cute!!

I know I promised to write more of what I learned in my tea class, but I will save that for another Tuesday.
Please feel free to join us- see Kimmie or Patty for links to other T.o.T-ers! And welcome to Mary Helen, who is joining us for tea!!