Pink Saturday: Button Button and More

often I mention how generous and wonderful my blog friends are, I am overdue thanking some special friends that do not happen to have blogs….last month I think it was, a talented group of quilters I am lucky enough to hang out with, The Woolie Nuts (don’t ask LOL), had a gathering to beat all gatherings all about buttons AND I had to miss it….sniff sniff.

Monica came into LOTS of wonderful buttons and wanted to share them with the group…Yippee Yeah!!!

have I mentioned I am crazy about buttons, I even have a button purse that I bought, people always ask if I made it

Monica was gracious enough to pack up huge zip lock bags of buttons for those of us that could not make it that evening…I believe they weighed in at around three pounds each!!!

I spent several evenings with a tray on my lap sorting buttons by color….why…..it’s a good excuse to touch the buttons and they look nice grouped together, also handy for when I decide to use some….for now I am just enjoying looking at them…stirring them with my finger now and then

just imagine, ten or fifteen times as many buttons as this arranged in bowls LOTS of bowls…..just had to share my special glass of pink buttons with you, they almost look good enough to eat

Monica delighted an awful lot of people by sharing her bounty!!!

while I am saying thank you, I must thank all of the thoughtful Woolie Nuts for bringing me tins, magazines, labels, treasures too good to throw away, plants and so much more

most recently, Sue gifted me with this latest bit of found treasure

it looks like it might fit a barbie size doll….we had some good giggles wondering what the rest of her costume looked like…..do you think it was pink?

it looks like a child (we’re thinking) chewed on the toe

pretty darn nice of friends to be so thoughtful (like my Mr Magpie) and rescue items for me all the time… how special is that!!!

here is something also very unique

as a person who has never ever colored her hair I am really intrigued with these hair color samples

are these not interesting and wonderful, also from Sue….so far I just enjoy opening the box, it’s double sided with samples of the colored locks on both sides

some day soon I will know just what to do with them

~*Happy Pink Saturday*~

Visit Bev at How Sweet the Sound for more Pink Saturday offerings

Heart U

feeling a lot of Love in the land of blog

I have been bestowed some lovely awards of late, these two for the MeMe Award happen to be from a land far away and down under….a place I’ve only dreamed of visiting one day…Australia

Sylvia of Studio Sylvia

and

Kim of Merlin’s Musings

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Marit, from The Netherlands,  this is for you too

I must say again, the international connections here in the land of blog are really special….I figured out with my Love of travel, I actually do get to visit far off places whenever I desire, popping in on creative, sharing and fun people…how special is that!!!

people always come up with such clever and interesting tidbits about themselves…I found it a bit challenging

I am not one to play along with awards and tagging on line, but thought what the heck…so here goes…

1.  I was born in Munich (München) in Southern Germany and come from German, Russian (maternal), Irish and Belgian (paternal) stock.  I am very proud of my European heritage and just wish I had a nice foreign accent … I guess if I moved to another country I WOULD have an accent, altho I’d really have to polish my German or learn another language well.

2.  I was told that I sing like Snow White….really!  You can listen here.  OK, it was by my then 6 year old son who would say “Mutti, sing like Snow White”.  We had just seen the movie and I could not stop singing afterwards….which brings me to #3

3.  I DID meet my Prince Charming not long after; alot like in Snow White’s song above.  We had been friends, but one magical night at a dear friends party (Love you Carol),  New Years Eve to be exact, we kissed and heard bells ring and the rest is history…..

4. I nursed (yes breastfed) two of our sons longer than some people might be comfortable with….it was one of the most fulfilling and important things I have done in my life….being joined at the………”hip” tee hee  like that was beautiful and sweet …. my nickname is “earth mother”… just kidding

5.  our youngest son was a planned birth at home, that too was a wonderful and special experience……

OK this talking about myself is challenging for certain!!!

still with me ?

6.  When I was 19 I took a nine week trip visiting nine different European countries, all by myself by railway…Luxembourg, Belgium, France, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland and Austria.   Also one of the best and most memorable things I have ever ever done!  Travel is near and dear to my heart.  I’ve also been lucky enough to visit Russia, The Baltic States, Finland, Ireland, England, Italy, Canada, Venezuela along with states in the USA

7.  I had very long hair for a lot of my lifetime, down to my knees at one point.   In 2003 I had it all cut off and donated it to Locks of Love….it’s not been past my shoulders since

I will bend the rule about passing this along to seven people…please feel free to play along and leave a blog link and let us know some about you too

apologies if you’ve given me an award in the past and I didn’t officially play along….guess I just had a weak moment here heehee

blame it on one of my favorite aprons …. picked up at The Women’s Museum a couple of years ago…the tag says:

“Why be dirty when you can be flirty?”

and lastly…this lovely quote on a card from Lennie “The Quote Queen”

“To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.” ~Emily Dickinson

Update: I am entering this post for Ana’s Friday Archive Dive Theme of Favorite Photo May 2011

freedom of speech

on a trip to the book store today we parked next to a very interesting vehicle…hard not to take notice

I scrambled to get my camera out (I try to take it everywhere!) as the driver was returning to his vehicle

I asked him if I could take a photo or two, he seemed in a little bit of a hurry and yelled “Yes, but there is a picture in yesterday’s Metro Section.”

I quickly snapped a third photo and he was off

We checked the Washington Post when we got home and sure enough on Page B3 , John Kelly’s Washington highlighted Tracy Leverton and his Subaru Forester with at least 400 bumper stickers all over it.  Go here for more of the story, it’s a short article.  It tells about the very different reactions he gets.

I gave him the thumbs up and yelled thank you and he flashed me the Peace sign….a very interesting encounter to say the least

TGIF: 100

Congratulations to the amazing Sandy celebrating 100 challenges on her Thank God It’s Friday Challenge Blog….that’s a lot of ideas!!!!

I created an ATC, with an image I found when shifting piles (cleaning up) in my studio along with bits of this and that

Congratulations Sandy… here’s to at least 100 more TGIF Challenges!

Dans ma maison il y a…une couronne

in my house there is a “crown”

running  late for this challenge

I would much rather play than clean/organize, but there comes a time, when…well, you know….wowee did I ever find some great ingredients in my art room

I came upon a Thanksgiving card from my good friend Lennie (not sure what year it was from), it just happened to be shaped like a house, I decided to alter the back (white side) of the card leaving the front of the card intact

a magazine page that I used to add texture to  a canvas a while ago (you paint the canvas and then press the magazine page onto it several times, it adds texture by pulling paint away giving interest to the canvas AND you get a nice painty piece of paper too, thank you Misty) made the perfect background

the crown is cut from one of the only faces I’ve ever painted in a Misty Mawn class a couple of years ago now….wish I had had someone take a  picture of my hands full of paint past my wrists…..that crown is laid over a winged crown sticker,  the lady is from Tallulahs

the wings were just waiting for someone to wear them (I had stamped them and covered them with clear embossing powder a long time ago)

I found a ‘matchbook’ of Heidi Swapp bling, perfect for my lace flower centers, I used chalks and inks to add more color

in the end my Muse reminds me of one of my favorite movie characters, Glinda, the good witch of the South (or was it North?) from the 1939 (WOW!) movie “The Wizard of Oz”….well my version anyway

Art on the Darkside: Moths

Art on the Darkside offered an image of an unusual looking moth for this weeks challenge.  I printed it out in two different colors.  One set for the Paper Whimsy girls wings and one set for my skeleton moth.

I like the way the Milky Way White Galaxy Marker smeared for a ghostly shadow

the Queen Mutt

Hermine’s challenge for Wednesday Stamper is “Dogs”

no disrespect meant at all…I do enjoy putting animal heads on human bodies and have done so with cats and dogs in the past

my Queen Doggie ATC, is photographed on the rubber side of the Judikins background stamp that I used

Wordless Wednesday: create

Numi ParTEA

a new tea for me, Numi Chocolate Puerh (pronounced “pu-err”) which has ancient history along with soothing and healing effects

“secret no. 4…Many Chinese families buy Puerh to celebrate a child’s birth.  Puerh’s worth appreciates as the child grows older, so on reaching adulthood they have gained a valuable investment for their future.”

Numi is probably best known for their flowering teas

I saw an advertisement in a health magazine that got me curious….tea “made with 500 year old organic wild-harvested tea leaves fermented and ripened into an earthy black tea” What!

Numi’s brewing instructions:

“soulful steeping: Tempt fresh water to a boil.  Slowly pour over a bag of Chocolate Puerh.  Steep 3-5 minutes to capture the full taste.  Swirl your cup, as the chocolate may settle to the bottom.  Sip and indulge in healthy decadence. Enjoy!”

the taste is rich and satisfying, I found it just right without cream or sugar even

it is a very thoughtful organic product, interesting reading on the package …. the Numi website has lots more info too

a snack of Mochi with red bean paste filling is always a treat and extra fun served on one of my bluebird plates…I have a few odd pieces of bluebird china

visit Kimmie for more tea Tuesday blog stops, Pat usually makes time for tea too …who else is joining in

ATC Swaps + Thanks

these wonderful cards arrived in my mailbox after a quick trip from Germany, they arrived in only two business days!

cards from left to right:

Angela………….Ute………….Birgit

my Zetti mermaids were a lot of fun to create and trade

many thanks to Marion for working so hard to make her 3rd Annual Zetti Swap a huge success

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being able to connect with artists all over the globe is a real treat, Lay Hoon from Malaysia and I swapped ATCs recently

here are her artful creations, the rich textured backgrounds do not seem to show up in my photo

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speaking of connecting, I also want to thank Marit from The Netherlands for linking to me, I am a little overdue for posting my thanks here

I am not known for playing along with tag in blogland (sorry), it’s just not my thing, thank you though for thinking of me, it is really sweet!   oxo

and a favorite quote that I posted back in October 2007 when I first started blogging:

“Art is our one true global language” ~Richard Kamler

SPA: Botanica

really Love Cathy’s challenge over at Sunday Postcard Art

my background is from a German Herbal Book, I even used an original page, ink, stamping, gesso, more ink and so on

Mysterious Moonflowers…Ipomoea alba

mysterious on several counts, first off, I thought our vine was going to be blue Morning Glories…surprise, surprise (and I’m supposed to be a gardener, it’s been many years since I’ve had a Moonflower vine) I did plant both Morning Glory and Moonflower seeds….no sign of Morning Glories yet

mysterious because Moonflowers are nocturnal bloomers

I was surprised to notice that the bud had begun to unfurl and it wasn’t even 7pm yet

the blooms shine white through the night

the white color and fantastic fragrance help attract moths to pollinate the blooms

then when touched by the morning sun, the blooms close and fall away

I wish you could smell the Moonflower, it is very fragrant and hard to liken to anything

happily there are lots more buds on the vine, I promise not to get this excited about each and every one…..well, I probably will get excited, but I won’t post about each and every one

Thank you very much for the seeds Lennie, who knew what joy one packet of seeds could bring and the fun is just beginning

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A quick note about two wonderful Journaling Workshops coming up.  Super Nova Journaling Class One, taught by the talented Julie Prichard, begins 1 September.    When you visit Julie here, you can find out all about both online journaling classes.    Julie’s Layer Love classes were so well done, I certainly did not want to miss these workshops.

***footnote: after mentioning Julie’s class above, look what I just found out.  Here’s what she has to say:

“Mention the Super Nova course on your blog, twitter or facebook and leave a comment here. I will draw two lucky winners on Saturday and give them their choice of membership: each winner will be able to choose if they would like to have Part One (Bookbinding $43) or Part Two (Art Journaling $39)! If you have already paid for the class, do not worry- I will refund your payment if you are the winner. Deadline for entries is midnight pacific time, Friday 8/28.”

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2 a.m. full blown

Lovely Luana

in a recent swap with the lovely and talented Linda Vincent from the UK, I was absolutely over the moon with the special treats she shared with me

Linda’s needle felted square certainly is beautiful to look at AND to touch,  I can’t wait to play with the wooden house cutout

and all of the other lovely paper and trims

these plastic doilies, wonderful to use as stencils and not all that easy for me to find in this area it seems,  plastic lace is a good way to describe it….I have already played with them a little

most amazing of all…is the stunning journal that Linda made for me using one of her gorgeous paintings…I’m just giving you sneak peeks here

…be sure and visit Linda to see her creation in all its glory….it’s as if she read my mind and somehow knew I secretly coveted Luana as soon as I laid eyes on her

every detail speaks to me…if it had not been for blogging, Linda and I might have never met

there is lots to be grateful for and I definitely am;  so many thoughtful, talented, generous and special people in my life

***Many, Many Thanks Dear Linda***

just like raindrops…

…with BIG thunder and BRIGHT flashing lightening….LOTS of it glaring through closed eyelids even…the new rain gauge works

yellow jackets carrying on as usual the morning after

I imagined a group of them huddled over the opening of the nest, wings spread, keeping the pounding rain at bay

Caladium leaves holding on to each drop

of rain

wild Morning Glory…covered in pearls

hard not to get excited about the rain, it’s been dry as a bone here in Virginia for over a month

even the trashcan lid looks freshened up

Love the rain

*Scraped Paint*

I have been meaning to share a quick and easy way to make background paper with you for a while now… just in case you’ve never given it a try…..you only need a few basic things to get started

*click on any photo for a closer look*

*an old book (if you use loose papers you would need to tape them down and put something underneath them to catch the overflow, I find it handy having them still attached in the book, they rip out nicely once the page is softened with paint and almost dry)

*a plastic card (old credit card or gift card, using whichever edge feels right to you)

*acrylic paints (cheap, sparkly, precious or not…whatever you have on hand…I like the sheerness of the less expensive paint which lets some of the text show through)

begin by dabbing a few dots of paint here and there  on the page…it does not take much….several swipes with the plastic card this way and that way and your paint is pulled across the paper, blending the colors

be sure to use all of the paint that is stuck on the plastic card smearing it back on the paper

I usually begin with a couple of colors of paint, to keep it from turning muddy….add additional dots of paint if desired (the same or new colors)

scraping the paint on the page helps it dry quickly

on most of these pages I finished by plopping bits of dauber paint using the wooden stirrer, shown in the first photo (I have never been successful in getting those daubers to work properly)

scraping it back and forth for an additional thin coat which helps add a little more depth to the pages

pink or pale yellow was my choice this time around, the sky is the limit in combining colors

now you have lovely papers that you can draw on. stamp on or use as wrapping paper…..one of a kind papers to use as your heart desires….quick and easy!

for an inspiring example of how to use your scraped paint papers, along with a chance to see some beautiful artwork, visit Linda here

Wordless Wednesday: Let it Rain