we salute you

two challenges in one … Art Creations Friday has provided the precious sailor boy image and “tickets” is the theme at Gothic Arches this week

the ferry ticket is a copy of the ticket from our boat trip from San Francisco to Sausalito last summer

… remembering the fallen and all those who have served … with heartfelt gratitude …

Dragon Pearls T Tuesday

Dragon Pearl Tea was one of the special teas that Kimmie tucked in with our tea cup exchange earlier this month.  The name and look of them fascinated me … so I asked Google (since Google knows everything ) to learn more about this delicate and mysterious green tea

I just happened to have a special  teapot and cups that belonged to my sweet mother in law … perfect for tea today

… here is a little blurb on the Dragon Pearls along with a link

“Information: Dragon Pearls are a green tea and are made from the top two leaves and the bud of new season growth (Late March /early April). These delicate leaves are then hand rolled into the small pearls. When you infuse these pearls in your tea cup, you will see the top two leaves and the bud come to life. In fact you will see some small ‘hairy down’ on the bud of the leaves – this denotes superb quality and very careful and delicate handling.”

delicate, delicious and delightful … thanks again Kimmie

won’t you join us for tea … you can click here for more tea Tuesday links

Dans ma maison il y a …du bleu

**OK….just ready to post the link on Dans ma maison when I realized … I got excited about BLUE and made a 5×7 collage and forgot it needed to be a house … dohhh!!!! … back to the drawing board**

***back again … if you scroll all the way down to the bottom you will find my blue house now… it went together so much faster than my postcard ***

I have been waiting to use this lovely water lady from Suzee Que’s Flickr images … it was on the cover of The New York Tribune Sunday Magazine in the early 1900’s … she seemed to fit the “blue” challenge over at Dans ma maison very well … I gave her a fan to hold …

the swans are from Elizabeth at Last Door Down the Hall

the flowered backdrop is a photo of my Mutti’s 1941 fabric covered autograph book … what treasures that holds

I blended inks and paints with hand sanitizer for the background since I just happened to have some handy … be sure and visit Jean at Bluebirds Living in the Meadow, if you haven’t already, for a nice tutorial on using hand sanitizer on inkjet images

“Oh! darkly, deeply, beautifully blue, as someone somewhere sings about the sky” ~Lord Byron, 1788-1824

*both pics can be clicked for a closeup*

so I got busy and made a HOUSE for the challenge using some scrap paper for the background, inks, paints and another size of the lovely water lady and fan for this 6×4″ card

a wonderful day

Mr Magpie surprised me and got my sewing machine repaired … it needed a replacement part and a good cleaning …. now I can add some stitching and a hanger to this mostly fabric postcard

*photo is clickable for a closeup view*

I used six or seven different bits of fabric/lace/ribbon … the image of the lady is from an Altered Bits collage sheet … the words are from a book that popped off the page at me

“It is astonishing how short a time it takes for very wonderful things to happen” ~ Frances Burnett

terrific treasure trove

Kimmie got us all excited about The International Championship League of Matchbox Stuffers and tucked a sweet matchbox in with the tea cup she recently sent me for a tea cup swap we were in

Pat McNally had a giveaway and I was the lucky winner of her wonderful treasure stuffed matchbox

*all photos can be double clicked for a closeup*

it was waiting for me upon my return from Blacksburg …

her packaging was especially thoughtful and fun … Loved the unveiling (pun intended) … the jewelry box helped keep the matchbox from being crushed in the mail… good thinking Pat!

decorated so sweetly… just look at all the wonderful booty she tucked inside

thanks so very much Pat … I am one very lucky stuffed matchbox collector

I thought of you on my ride home on Interstate 81 … near mile marker 253.6 (heading north near the Rt 721 overpass) I spied two Osage Orange trees … the glowing green fruit really shows up on the ground ready for gathering

Pink Saturday: Autumn…where’s the pink

it’s the time of year when things wither and fade here in northern Virginia … the Clematis seed heads are lovely … just in an entirely different way than when they were raging with color in May

pinkish slate stones still warm in the autumn sun

golds … greens … shades of brown

didn’t anyone tell the tall Phlox that blooming time is done…

or the pink Zinnias canoodling with the Rosemary in the front garden

and the pink Fairy Rose that keeps going and going

don’t they know it is time to rest  … I will leave you with this thoughtful quote by Andrew Wyeth:

“I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape – the loneliness of it – the dead feeling of winter.  Something waits beneath it – the whole story doesn’t show.”

~*Happy Pink Saturday*~

visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for lots of Pink Saturday blogs to visit

that certain something

My red lentil soup was one of the first things I thought to bring along with me for our son who is a junior at Virginia Tech.   It’s about a four hour car ride from home.  He has the flu and was feeling poorly … I am grateful that I could make the drive and spend time with him.

I thought I would share this recipe with you while I am away playing nurse

I have been making this soup since the 80’s and it is always a hit

Magpie’s Nest RED LENTIL SOUP *2009*

1/8 cup oil

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup green (or red or yellow) pepper chopped

1 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 Tablespoon flour

one 14.5 oz can diced tomato or fresh chopped tomato  if you prefer

4 cups boiling water

one cup lentils, rinsed (see below)**

crushed garlic to taste, one large vegetable bouillion cube (more salt later if you think you need it)

+++++

Seasonings: chopped parsley (fresh or dried), bay leaf (Lennie that’s your fresh one from your garden in the pot), marjoram (possibly my favorite spice, the fragrance is gorgeous), thyme (is a close second), ground pepper to taste and 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice (it adds that certain something!)

==================

In a 4 quart soup pot saute all of the chopped veggies in the heated oil until they glisten and cook a bit … sprinkle flour into the mix and stir adding the can of diced tomatoes with liquid along with 4 cups boiling (or very hot) water

**rinse your lentils in a mesh colander and stir immediately into the liquid … if left in the colander they turn into a brick … ask me how I know **

stirring on and off and simmering on low heat for close to an hour (or until everything is tender)  … I do use a lid …

back in the early 80’s I made soups for a health food cafe and delicious healthy sandwiches too …. our son, Alex, was a baby and I carried him on my back and delivered sandwiches  in our 1970 Beetle Bug to six different health food stores and cafes …. those were the days

back to the recipe …. I like adding the spices toward the end … play with the amounts … I put some in the palm of my hand and crush it a bit … season … stir … taste … Enjoy * Enjoy!!!

the recipe doubles well (which is what I did for the photo of the 8 quart soup pot above) and the soup reheats beautifully too!

here is a little something I’ve learned along the way … it goes for photographs AND recipes … be sure to add a date …years and years later it’s fun to know the year and origin of a recipe or when a photo was taken  … I don’t know about you, but I think I’ll remember and then before I know it years have passed and I’m left scratching my head wondering when I got the recipe … I am often amazed when I see how long I’ve been using a tried and true recipe

one of our favorite sayings was taken from a tea towel many years ago … we think it’s Amish … it certainly fits many occasions:

“Too soon old …. too late schmart”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

I am happy to say our son is feeling much better already

Dona Nobis Pacem

Latin for “Grant Us Peace”

a year has passed already since last year’s Blog Blast for Peace … I am no further along in knowing how to do artwork in Photoshop … so my blog blast is a handmade collage again using scissors and glue on a background that Mimi Lenox provided here

she is the mastermind behind this important project

the angel is a photo I took of a gravestone at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, DC

here is the definition of Peace from the Merriam-Webster on line dictionary for:

¹peace

Pronunciation: \ˈpēs\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English pees, from Anglo-French pes, pees, from Latin pac-, pax; akin to Latin pacisci to agree — more at pact

Date: 12th century

1 : a state of tranquillity or quiet: as a : freedom from civil disturbance b : a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom <a breach of the peace>
2 : freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions
3 : harmony in personal relations
4 a : a state or period of mutual concord between governments b : a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity
5 —used interjectionally to ask for silence or calm or as a greeting or farewell

— at peace : in a state of concord or tranquillity

in every language it is the same …

Afrikaans	vrede
Algonquin	Waki Qiwebis
Armenian	Khanaghutyun
Basque	Bak�
Belorussian	pakoj
Bengali	shAnti
Bosnian	Spokoj
Breton	peoc’h
Burmese	Nyeinjanyei
Catalan	Pau
Cheyenne	nanomonsetôtse
Chinese
Comanche	Tsumukikiatu
Cree	Wetaskiwin
Creole	Lap�
Croatian	mir
Czech	mir
Danish	fred
Dari	Sulh
Dutch	vrede
Egyptian	Hetep
English	peace
Esperanto	paco
Estonian	rahu
Farsi	Solh
Fijian	Vaka�egu
Finnish	Rauha
French	paix
Fon (West Africa (Benin))	Fifa
Fresian	fred
Gaelic	s�ochaint (Scottish), s�och�in (Irish)
German	der friede
Greek	Irini
Guarani	py’guapy
Hawaiian	malu
Hebrew
Hindi	Shanti
Hmong	kev sib haum xeeb
Hungarian	béke
Icelandic	Fri�ur
Indonesian	damai
Inuit	Tutkium
Italian	pace
Japanese	Heiwa
Javanese	Rukun
Khmer	Soksang
Klingon	R�j
Korean	Peoning Hwa
Kurdish	Hasiti
Lakota	Wolakota
Lao	Santiphap
Latin	pax
Lithuainian	taika
Maltese	paci
Maori	rongo
Mayan	Ets�a�an Olal
Mongolian	Enh Taiwain
Nahuatl	tlamatcanemiliztli
Norwegian	fred
Polish	pokoj
Portugese	paz
Quenya	sérë
Romanian	pace
Romansch	pasch
Sioux	Wo�okeyeh
Spanish	paz
Swahili	Amani
Swedish	fred
Tagalog	kapayapaan
Tamil	Amaithi
Thai	Santiphap
Tibetan	Sidi
Turkish	Baris
Urdu	amn; salaam
Vietnamese	Hoa Binh
Welsh	Heddwch
Yiddish	Sholem
Yoruba	Alaafia
Xosha	uxolo
Zapotec	Layeni
Zulu	Ukuthula

wherever we are … whatever the tune … we dance in the Light of the very same moon

WS: Asia

this week’s challenge theme for Wednesday Stamper is “Asia”

the stamp I used is layered in the background … with gesso pounced through plastic lace … the stamp is by Stampers Anonymous

here is my postcard … which after seeing it on the monitor, I realized it really needed shading all around the images … you can see the difference between the first closeup view above and the full postcard below

*double click for a closer view*

I always mean to create more Asian themed pieces

Special Tea Tuesday

I have a lot to share with you today

Judy of Apron Strings blog recently organized a tea cup swap… thanks again Judy!

Kimmie and I ended up being swap partners … it was a surprise up until the package arrived at my door

this beautiful and colorful fine bone English china cup and saucer (everything tastes better in a pretty cup) traveled all the way from the west coast

along with so many special goodies wrapped in pretty lavender tissue paper … an altered puzzle piece with a polished sea glass bird wing … a piece of Zentangled seashell … precious pictures from a special children’s book … a beautiful smooth rock artfully decorated by Kimmie and more

the fortune says: “You will be fortunate in everything you put your hands to” = Love that!!!

exotic teas … Dragon Pearls … how magical … can’t wait to try a cup

the final bit of treasure has created a bit of a stir … a wee personalized matchbox filled to the brim with tiny bits of this and that … be sure and visit Kimmie at her Art in Red Wagons to see exactly what she tucked into what she calls a mini junk drawer

there is even a German Pfennig

inspired by a flickr pool called The International Championship League of Matchbox Stuffers … always amazing what people come up with

Pat McNally got inspired and got busy creating her own stuffed matchbox and I WON it as a prize … lucky me!!!

if you like the idea of stuffing tiny treasures into a matchbox why not join Pat of Artfully Ooglebloops for a Matchbox Swap … you would only have to make one … if you can stop at one

for more tea Tuesday posts visit Kimmie here

Gothic Arches and Lord Leighton

Nancy has settled Gothic Arches in its new home here … so beautifully … the new blog looks  fabulous … how does she do it…must have taken hours and hours and hours to transfer everything from the ning forum

the music playlist is especially sweet as well

this week’s theme is all about the 19th century artist Lord Frederick Leighton

his Flaming June has always been a favorite of mine

*Happy Birthday Sweet Thing*

for a special and sweet friend on her birthday

Happy Happy * Enjoy Enjoy * Dear One

the image is the lovely Mona Maris, 1921

Pumpkin Love + Happy Hallowe’en

over the years I have enjoyed decorating and carving pumpkins … I wasn’t going to get a pumpkin this year as we have plans to skip out on the tiny trickle of tricker treaters here in the neighborhood … just because

visiting The Cottage recently and seeing the array of pretty and unusual pumpkins … with names like Cinderella Pumpkin (wanted one of those too!!!) … I found them hard to resist …  an Australian Blue Pumpkin kept calling my name … they are supposed to be good keepers and excellent eating also … if you click/double click for a closeup you’ll see the special coloring

thanks to Judy Post for the lovely flowers

look what my QB5 friend Linda sent me … I’ve been waiting for the perfect time to share this

fun to rip into the cool stitched bag…very carefully of course

I am finding it hard to get enough of these precious  little girls … they are my absolute favorites along with the frill at the top and the glittered pumpkin … thank you so much Linda!

and an RAK from a sweet blog friend Charlotte

a wonderful all white and ghostly pumpkin ATC along with other special goodies … thank you Charlotte!

Lennie the fresh bay leaves you picked from your bush are drying and pretty as a picture in the process … thank you also for the magazines!

look at this goodie bag from Pat who has two ooglebloops blogs … she certainly is a treasure seeker…it seems Patti & Co Arts and Crafts is an Italian company and she rescued this bag just for me … I will be enjoying some of Pat’s special Lavender Syrup with a cup of green tea in that nifty foil defuser… how unique!

my cup runneth over with wonderful gifts and art mail of late … I feel very fortunate to know so many talented and generous people!

many many thanks to you all and …

oxoxo

*more thank you’s still to come*

Peter Peter …

… Pumpkin Eater

I have had pumpkins on the brain today …  so here is my take on  Sandy’s SaWo alter a cabinet card challenge for this week

to begin with

*before*

I randomly collaged bits of scrap paper around the image of the man on the cabinet card and then inked over the background

*after*

here is my wee bit strange altered cabinet card… I am happy with the background

Tea in Town … SO lovely!

a chance for tea with special friends Judy and Lennie at a favorite spot… not only do they serve tea (Lennie, you’ll want to peek at that link)…they have antiques galore (we missed you Pat!)

*click/double click any pics you’d like a closer look at*

The Cottage is like walking into a magazine … so artfully decorated with one of a kind vintage pieces

two floors to delight you

very soon they will be having their Holiday Open House … the shoppe will be transformed into a winter wonderland … not to be missed!

Lennie and I took the long way home and stopped by “my most beautiful spot” …. someone once told me that everyone should have a spot….a special spot….that they could always escape to

Oatlands is that place for me

this time of year the Osage Oranges are ripe and ready …it really IS intriguing to read all about the lore surrounding these fragrant  “hedge apples”

Native Americans made their bows out of the wood…such an interesting fruit

Lennie and I have had magical visits to Oatlands Plantation over the years … one year we’ll have to do the garden tour together … the peonies are breathtaking … lots of roses … herbs … big old boxwoods and more

the majestic Ginkg0 tree …the golden leaves to the right…each shaped like a fan…with no two alike

we are not sure what that tree to the left is…we were so tempted to trot over there and climb onto that branch so near the lawn

when the Gingko leaves all turn gold….in a matter of days they drop to the ground all at once … creating a perfect golden carpet…a reminder that timing is everything especially in nature!

this greenhouse with origins back to 1810 … old for the US … is being slowly restored

even on an overcast day the colors were brilliant … soon enough just bare trees will surround us

… there were delights everywhere we turned!

the Chocolate Bandit

a yummy challenge for Mittwochstempler (WS)  this week … and one of my favorite food groups too … CHOCOLATE

“… and no one gets hurt”

my arch began with a photograph of  an old funky looking metal iron rest that I picked up with intentions of altering some day

I added the velvety flocked leaves as a finishing touch along with the recipe page from a 1953 Refrigerator Desserts booklet as a backdrop