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

Wordless Wednesday: Rainy Days

Pear Tea Tuesday

along with apples (ummm Honey Crisps) … pears are in abundance this time of year … with so many varieties to choose from … the Bartletts keep calling me … they have the nicest fragrance when they are golden in color and give a little when pressed gently … although I do enjoy a nice crisp Bosc Pear with cheese

Honey Lemon Throat Comfort Yogi Tea was my tea choice for today … just because (no throat discomfort) … here is what it says on the tea tag

“Love is where compassion prevails and kindness rules.”

my wish for each of you on this Tea Tuesday and always

for more fun tea stops you can visit Kimmie’s Art in Red Wagons

bathed in moonlight

the challenge this week at Gothic Arches:  Orange and Black … and I have my arch ready on Sunday this time around!

this serious little Paper Whimsy girl sprouts wings every full moon … oh what to do … what to do

“Every one is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody” ~Mark Twain

my precious

I really did not want to miss out on the Gothic Arches “Risqué” challenge this week … so I am joining in just in the nick of time

“Meditate

Live purely

Be quiet

Do your work with mastery

Like the moon,

come out from behind the clouds!

Shine” ~Buddha

where does the sky end …

there is a pond in a nearby neighborhood

I always mean to stop

to take a stroll

and marvel at the impossibly blue skies

if you hold very still you can hear the leaves drop

one by one in the stillness

no wind at all

easy to click off forty snapshots or more

surrounded by beauty

“Change is a measure of time and, in the autumn, time seems speeded up.  What was is not and never again will be; what is…is change.” ~Edwin Way Teale

*each photo can be clicked for a closer view*

*Note: I am linking this post to Ana’s Friday Archive Dive “Fall Colors”*

Autumn’s Antics

Autumn is all about Hallowe’en…spelled it like that for Joanne … you can go here to find out why … you will not want to miss Autumn’s 13 Days of Halloween Extravaganza going on as we speak!

she has lots of wonderful ideas and images to share … a really fantastic creepy doll head even

I was drawn to this unusual pumpkin at the market and just cannot do a blog post without a picture or two

Run quick…fast as you can for some really fun blog candy…Autumn is picking three winners on Friday … sorry for the short notice… Autumn and I just met

*altered puzzle*

*a quarter to show size … a little dark in the pic*

back in March I told you about our local altered artists group puzzle piece swap … ten of us participated which left three pieces of our own to decorate … everyone had a different theme … mine was Blue/Purple

*if you double click the pic you’ll get to see the details of these neat pieces*

here are the names of the artists from top left to right

Andrea          Fran        Patty        Alecia

Linda Yeatman       Patty       Amy       April

Leiann       Sandy       Patty       Linda Scimeca

amazing to begin with a blank puzzle and see how differently everyone’s turned out … I was not consistent in taking pics of the pieces I created for others … but you can see some here,  here and here and also if you click the word March at the beginning of this post

Still Here…

feeling a little blue …

I decided to let these pages flow … with less censoring …

it’s a fine line, I feel, on how personal to get here in the land of blog

then again … what is a blog  if not an expression of ourselves

Julie’s Super Nova art journaling workshop is wonderful on so many levels … there are discussion groups and of course Julie’s inspiring lessons … monoprinting is something I am really getting into and I am crazy about stenciling with plastic doilies

some days I wonder how I can feel joy at all without our special boy here to hug … always grateful for healing that comes in many mysterious and wondrous ways

John Mayer sings beautifully about the heart of life  here … I can listen to this song over and over and ….

WS: Halloween

still playing with “creepy” doll heads … not into clowns … but these dolls do keep calling me

*double click for a closer look at my background*

the Martha Stewart Gothic Owl stickers sure come in handy this time of year

here are the rubber stamps that went into my recycled cardboard postcard for the Wednesday Stamper “Halloween” challenge

Tea and Tech

Virginia Tech that is … we just returned from a visit with our son in Blacksburg

we stayed at a really nice and comfortable B&B in town … right next to campus and within walking distance of a lot of fun spots

Hokie pride is everywhere

decorated mascots pop up here and there

the local Farmer’s Market was in full swing even in the rain and chill … getta load of the puff ball mushroom on the left

we had an especially nice visit talking to the Birdsong Farm people about their bees …  all of their natural products are so pure and inviting

Love these Peace boots worn by a lady from Squirrel Hollow Farm & Bakery… they made fresh pierogis and all kinds of delicious tarts and treats

imagine this picture with a beautiful blue sky … it didn’t happen the five days we were there … we actually do not mind the rain … someone once said how silly it is to complain about the weather … the one thing that is certain is that it will change again no matter what

*all photos are clickable for close up views…if you double click the picture above,  you’ll see the ‘Loitering Allowed‘ sign underneath the banjo and awning*

we always go the extra 30 miles or so to visit the sweet town of Floyd

next stop the Blue Ridge Parkway

Mabry Mill is always worth a photo stop … the water wheel was actively turning

hard to get enough of the misty mountain views

MOOOO

the sheep look anchored to the hillside by their long horns

a local winery closed for tasting …

gosh you stopped by for tea and ended up on a mini tour of one little corner of the Blue Ridge … visit Kimmie for all of this week’s tea links

“Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain” ~unknown

Elephantidae

there is something very special about elephants … lots of things actually … they are the largest land animals now living … hard workers …  they represent patience and perseverance  … viewed as symbols of wisdom and dignity … highly intelligent with a long life span (70+ yrs is not unusual) … it is proven that elephants grieve…

I have had the white marble elephant … the one leading the parade … since I was a young girl … my mother got very excited in the town of Carrara, Italy on a camping vacation in Europe many years ago … she picked up marble lamps …  a special footed marble bowl that she filled with various marble fruits … my father picked out a beautiful statue … well you get the idea … at one point they wondered how they would fit my sister and I back in the car for the ride home to home base in Germany!

I saw in a movie once that it is good luck to face elephant statues looking out toward the outdoors … rather than facing “into” a room

 

 

when I saw the free patterns that Lynnette Anderson shared on her blog … I knew I wanted to stitch the elephants to add to my India altered book … thanks to my Woolie Nuts Quilting friends for sharing the link  … Lynnette offers a nice variety of really wonderful patterns at her link above…

my elephant embroidery, without the paisley fabric frame I made, measures 4 x 4.5 inches (10,16 x 11,43 cm)…

here is a link to one of my India book spreads and another here each have elephants in them…

“A king who always cares for the elephants like his own sons is always victorious and will enjoy the friendship of the celestial world after death” ~Kautiliya, scholar of Buddhism in India

Say “NO” to Ivory

 

 

monoprinting

Julie has done it again … I am thoroughly enjoying her Super Nova Online Journaling workshop … it is jam packed with techniques and inspiration … being able to watch Julie create is a joy all in itself

here we are already on Lesson 7

I will have some very interesting backgrounds before it’s all said and done

and I know I have words …. they are here somewhere … just waiting to be released onto the pages