April ATC Challenge

Chriss from The Artists Trading Club invited me to be Guest Designer for the April “Vintage” themed ATC challenge

thank you very much for this lovely honor Chriss

here are my Vintage ATCs for the swap

weathered book text, painted paper, envelope liner, rubber stamps

paper doily, rubber stamps, weathered book text

paper doily, piece of used tea bag, rubber stamp

painted paper, paper doily, rubber stamps … the word HOPE is from Design Originals Tim Holtz distressables and doo-dads

I used cardboard from a cereal box for all but one of these ATCs

participants in Chriss’ treasure hunt will have the chance to win one of my little wire and bead bird nest charms along with some assorted collage papers

*you can click for a closer view*

details for the giveaway …  can be found here

the ATC swap is open to all

*Update: Chris is the winner of my little giveaway*

*Peace* in my neighborhood…high school kids at work on their graffiti house

WS…Eggs

I created a greeting card for the “Eggs” theme at Wednesday Stamper using an Art Impressions Celebrate stamp

a bit of lace as an accent (thank you Michelle) along with a pretty Paper Whimsy girl

“We can see a thousand miracles around us every day.  What is more supernatural than an egg yolk turning into a chicken?”  ~S. Parker Cadman

there is still time to enter  my blog giveaway

March eggs us on

signs of spring popping everywhere

here in Northern Virginia

most welcome sights and sounds for certain

deviled eggs are something I do not make very often anymore … they are always a hit …

wishing you all a happy T Tuesday … you are most welcome to join in the Tea Tuesday fun, whether you drink tea or coffee … Kimmie of Art in Red Wagons has an open invitation

I want to thank Judy of Apron Strings for introducing me to Molly & McGee … two very handsome and healthy barn owls that are raising their young for all to enjoy without any human interference … save a discreetly placed camera … giving the world a view of nature one certainly does not see everyday

Linda has a great picture of Molly on her blog too

* * * * *

there are still a few days left if you would like to leave a comment on my blog giveaway here

… becoming …

my little wire nests are starting to pile up… so I thought I would put some to good use

small matchboxes make perfect containers for so many things

precious bird images from the always generous

Karen at The Graphics Fairy

a perfect home for my wire and bead nests … gel medium worked beautifully to glue them in place

“There is no knowledge of true being.  The world is fundamentally in a state of becoming.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

* * * * *

I am entering my little matchboxes in The Graphic Fairy’s Brag Monday … pop on over and see the lovely offerings!

*nest charms giveaway*

*comments are now closed … winners will be announced on Friday*

it has been a while since I have had a giveaway on my blog

it is high time for some blog candy

I have been making little wire nests like a crazy lady

I thought it would be fun to share some with you lovely readers

you do not need to have a blog … visitors from all over the globe are most welcome

just leave a comment on this post with a way to contact you

SIX names will be picked randomly

and announced on Friday … 2 April 2010

each of the nests turn out a little differently

close to the size of an American penny displayed here on a moo card

I will also enclose some surprise collage goodies with each nest

many thanks as always for taking the time to visit and to connect by saying a few words …  it truly is a thrill and honor to meet so many talented artists all around the globe … a beautiful reminder that we are more alike than different … sharing many of the same interests and passions … it really IS a beautiful thing !

* be sure and visit the lovely and talented Katie at Ragamuffin Gal … she is having a beautiful giveaway that you will not want to miss *

A Nice Cup of “Spring” Tea

The Three Muses challenge this week is “a nice cup of tea” … I miss playing along with so many of the great challenge blogs

with Spring arriving in my hemisphere I was happy to stop and create a postcard with a Bluebird nesting in one of my favorite tea cups … a gift from my sweet mother-in-laws’ collection

Bluebirds always remind me of my Dad … he worked diligently each Spring to clean the sparrow nests out of his Bluebird houses … he really got excited when a pair stayed to raise their young

*a click or two will give you a closer look*

the background is a photo I took on a recent getaway of a closed shop off the beaten path … the paper they had taped to the window was so beautifully curling and water stained just had to snap a few photos

below is the photo FREE for you TO DOWNLOAD if you wish to use it in your artwork

*double click for downloading*

I will be having a blog giveaway in the next day or two … do pop by if you get the chance

“With melted snow I boil fragrant tea” ~ Menicus

WS: Spring

Wednesday Stamper’s lovely theme this week is “Spring” … ahh Spring

I created a collaged scrap paper background for my Goddess of Spring Forget-Me-Not postcard

with a bit of white gesso…a paint wash… some stamping…white gel pen highlights and PanPastel shadowing

the Goddess is a photo that I took at a local restaurant

here are the stamps I used

“Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself” ~Zen Proverb

time for Spring Tea

Dianne is hosting tea this week and her theme is

“What signifies the coming of spring for you?”

for me it is all about nature

Robin Redbreast visiting our garden again … be sure and zoom in for her closeup

the grass turning green seemingly overnight

a chance to play in the dirt

the fresh smell of Spring showers

crocus and other spring bulbs showing their long awaited colors

waking up and falling asleep to the sweet sound of birdsong

and being able to sip tea on the back porch again … ahh Spring!

for a list of all of the tea stops … you can visit Kimmie at the home of T Tuesdays here

“Springtime is the land awakening.  The March winds are the morning yawn.” ~Quoted by Lewis Grizzard in Kathy Sue Loudermil, I Love You

“Blinkles” sweet creations + a giveaway

many thanks to Lynn for introducing me to Janee’s Blinkles Boulevard blog recently

look what I just won

it is such a delight to see the wee little acorn nest with the itty bitty eggs up close …  so delicate and sweet

and the magical Wish Bottle precious in every detail … right down to the steps for using it

to see Janee’s lovely photos you can visit her here

Janee is a nature girl after my own heart … what she has done with bits of nature and her imagination … all really wonderful … to see more of her creativity be sure and visit her here

what a lovely art mail day … thank you so much Janee!

speaking of wonderful giveaways … you won’t want to miss Kristin Hubick’s generous Retro Cafe giveaway here

Happy Spring All !!!

C’ville

Charlottesville, Virginia … about a two hour drive from where we live

in town for the John Mayer concert held at the John Paul Jones Arena on the University of Virginia campus

a little more about that here

too bad we couldn’t stay for Swan Lake too … the historic downtown has a nice walking mall

dining … outside or in … wine flights and roasted garlic anyone

another swan sighting

Studio Baboo for beads (thank you Sue)… birds nest wire and more

Caspari

the University of Virginia has a rich history

what is that Z?

Edgar Allan Poe was a university student back in 1826

and stayed in one of these dorms

Spring is in the air

*Wishing my sweet Mutti a VERY Happy Birthday today*

OXOXOXO

John Mayer Battle Studies Winter Tour

two tickets 

live

in Charlottesville Virginia 16 March 2010

the opening band … Michael Franti and Spearhead had everyone on their feet

Franti interacted with the crowd coming out into the audience … a warm hearted barefoot guy

And when the rain falls down
You know the flower’s gonna bloom
And when the hard times come
You know the teacher’s in the room
And when the sun comes up
You know I’ll be there for you.

–“Have A Little Faith” by Michael Franti

… a short break and it was time for the main attraction

two more hours of  WOW

John Mayer doing what he does best … playing guitar and singing

a fantastic performance

my favorite photo of many we took that evening … he happened to still have his jacket on in this one

still thinking about it all …  trying to imagine going out on stage night after night … one city to the next … putting yourself out there … giving it your all … and trying to have a life too

he talked about hoping that the evening met everyone’s expectations

YES indeed … it was memorable … didn’t want it to end!

Setlist:

Heartbreak Warfare
Good Love is On the Way
Vultures
Why Georgia > Message in a Bottle
Perfectly Lonely
Assassin
Neon
War Of My Life
Ain’t No Sunshine
Half of My Heart
Crossroads
Gravity

Encore:
Who Says
No Such Thing

“I like giving people something they don’t want to miss the next time. It’s a show with little twists and turns and curves. It has me being silly and stupid and compassionate and completely deep.” ~John Mayer

Wordless Wednesday: Maiden Name Mahoney

WS: Women’s History Month

there are so many women of note that came to mind for the WS Women’s History Month theme

I could not pass up the chance to do a Frida Kahlo piece

it all began with a sardine can

and beeswax at our local altered arts group gathering

torn map and tissue papers …  bits of lace … a piece of metal zipper and a crepe paper Memorial Day poppy made by a veteran in 2005 (see it’s good to hang on to things sometimes)

the final touch was the red ribbon holding a mother-of-pearl sacred heart pendant that I have also had around for a while

one word from this American Art Stamp (Designer: Kathleene Callei) went into my Frida shrine

be sure and visit Wednesday Stamper to be inspired by our guest designer Sherry Goodloe …  she created an amazing reversible Fragments necklace for this week’s theme to celebrate women

* * Happy St Patty’s Day … here is a sweet Irish tune for ya * *

In the Realm of the Buddha

a rainy day in town

visiting just one of the many free museum exhibits

a sacred Tibetan Sand Mandala

this Buddhist monk created his first mandala at age 17

still going strong after more than 50 years

it will take about five days to complete

then it will be reverently swept away signifying the impermanence of life … the grains of the sand will be used to spread blessings far and wide

there are advantages to a rainy day … good  parking and we did not have to wait too long to get this photo without people blocking the view

the Enid A Haupt Gardens outside the Smithsonian Castle Building hold the promise of spring

magnolia buds waiting for sunshine to unfurl

robin red breast waiting

while her garden is transformed

exotic witch hazel

SO very fragrant

at the Moongate Garden

rain kissed benches will soon hold visitors

(raindrops on the camera lens too)

from all over the globe

“When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky” ~ the Buddha

Elephants Go Marching …

thought you might like to see the lovely Artist Trading Cards I received in our local altered artists swap

each one so unique … some have great texture too!

top left Leiann Quesnel … middle left Lisa Murphy … bottom left Pat Lenz … top right Linda Yeatman … lower right Vera Sopenski

mine were posted here