Simply Splendid Sunset Celebration

summer unofficially begins in these parts … end of May …  on the Memorial Day weekend …

it certainly feels like summer with a bit of relief  in the shade … still 80+ degrees (27 celsius) at dusk

we have wanted to visit George and Martha Washington’s home for some time now (it so happens it is open seven days a week, each and every day of the year … even on Christmas Day)

… coming for one of the special sunset events was a great idea …

imagine our delight to discover “Martha” … with a lovely view of the Potomac River …  chatting and stitching away on the porch … the hammer dulcimer and harp lilting lightly in the background

not sure where America’s first hero was

amazing really that it has taken us this long to get ourselves to  Mount Vernon

with its lovely gardens

music and frolicking

wagon rides and lots of out buildings

a perfect place for lingering on the lawn

I told Mr Magpie we need never return as this visit was idyllic from beginning to end

seeing the estate by candle lit lantern light certainly was magical

here is a quote from the proud home owner himself:

“No estate in America is more pleasantly situated than this …” George Washington (1732 – 1799), speaking of his eight-thousand acre home. Mount Vernon has changed little over the last 200 years, although now it has been reduced to five hundred acres.

Memorial Day Weekend 2010

Memorial Day … a time to reflect and give thanks to those who have given so much

this was a special weekend for us … attending the wedding of our son’s friend … who we have known since he was a youngster

we have watched him grow up …  now making his way in the world with his sweet new bride

a magical and special evening on this unofficial start of summer

boys who used to play with water balloons … not little boys anymore

footnote: forgot to tell you that is our guy on the left, he looked REALLY spiffy in black tuxedo and tails!

sweet moments from beginning to end …  with a special dance I will remember always

~*Brightest of Blessings to All *~

Happy 2nd Birthday PINK SATURDAY

today is the second anniversary of

Pink Saturday

Beverly, of How Sweet the Sound, has accomplished no small task in keeping this vibrant group going all this time

I enjoy pink

often it is in nature … the bunch of fragrant primroses above is especially wonderful in the double close up view

sometimes I find pink by the roadside

sometimes pink finds me … thank you Trish, Hans and Skye for these beautiful Mother’s Day flowers that seemed to stay fresh forever and a day oxoxo

if you have a few moments

you can see my 1st  Pink Saturday Birthday post here

… it was a visit to Dumbarton Oaks in nearby Washington DC

this year the photos are from our Virginia garden … except for the roadside poppies from a nearby highway

here’s to lots more pink fun …thank you Beverly !

WS: It’s Hip to be Square

this weeks’ Wednesday Stamper challenge is all about Squares

I took a favorite face and text stamp … cut it into 12 squares gluing them onto black cardstock  … outlining and adding a few highlights with my white Signo gel pen

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Wednesday Stamper begins its two week summer schedule … look for the next challenge on 9 June

Tea and Mrs Thomas’ Garden

Margaret Thomas’ garden bursts into bloom every spring

with THE most amazing array of irises

peonies

and more

with over 2,000 varieties of irises

imagine the temptation to click photo after photo

such a feast for the senses

mother nature has a special way

of making us wait all year long

for the gifts she brings

the gardens are always open … free of charge

with heartfelt thanks to Mrs Thomas for sharing her passion

many thanks to everyone that has left thoughtful get well wishes recently… I certainly do appreciate your kindness and am starting to feel much better

Kimmie has the list of participating tea blogs here

let me leave you with a quote from Mrs Thomas’ website:

“The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world it leaves to it’s children.”  Dietrich Bonhoeffer

WS: Orange

it’s good to step outside of your comfort zone now and then … orange is not the first color I think of when creating

this week’s challenge over at Wednesday Stamper is Orange

*click for the closeup*

I created a postcard using a couple of different peeled tissues … paint … stamping ink … paper scraps … and have no clue where that tall drink of water lady is from…

still on the computer only in spurts, I would never have guessed that a head cold could lay me so low … luckily I had this postcard prepared ahead of time … miss you all

Honeysuckle Magpie Tea

a chance to visit face to face with a special blog friend …  Marlynn of Honeysuckle Breeze …  she did a really nice blog post here

we decided to meet up in the nearby town of Leesburg at the Aylesbury Tea Room

the place was jumping … several bridal showers … girls of all ages enjoying a cuppa

time flew by … we lingered over tea … and shopped at Aylesbury

we also managed to pop into

The Cottage … each room is like walking into a magazine spread

with treasures everywhere you look

both upstairs and down … a perfectly lovely afternoon

Marlynn surprised me with a canvas that I had admired on her blog … how sweet is that and extra nice to see it in person … can’t wait to try some of the novel teas too … such clever packaging … already looking forward to our next adventure together!

thank you all for stopping by for T …  visit Kimmie for the complete list of T Tuesday bloggers

I am a little slow getting around to visit everyone just now … not feeling so great … I look forward to catching up with all of you very soon

also wanted to mention:

registration for Carole’s beautiful journal class is now open … you can pop by here to get all of the details!  I can hardly wait!

more wool and round robins

I wanted to show you a piece from a round robin I participated in several years ago with a local friendship quilting group called the Woolie Nuts or “Woolies” for short

we each made a heart … no two were alike … different  shapes on various background fabrics … I chose Sandcastle for my background and used the reverse side … just because

I got mine started by stitching the blue flowers on the left and it grew from there … our ring leader was/is Pat Sloan

it is an honor to get to hang out with these talented quilters

we are in the midst of a crazy block round robin at the moment … I’ll have a reveal on that in a few months

thanks to Pat for stitching my background … I added the stamped  and colored butterfly at the top … wait until you see the gorgeous additions to my Nature/Garden square … WOW

wonderful wool

my good friend, Michelle, and I got together recently to play with wool …

the idea of starting with nothing … well beautiful wool roving in this case … and ending up with something is always a thrill to me

I have been eager to learn some of what Michelle knows about creating free form objects … SO very nice of her to share

isn’t her bluebird a beautiful shape … she may add eyes or not

I also adore the polka dot pincushion she added to her basket girl … turns out we both have a little collection of these funky little girls with baskets

her pink  Jean style warm and fuzzy wool flower turned out great too!

above  is my first birdie … hearts are always a favorite of mine

later that evening I tried my hand at a tiny blackbird… that is an American quarter to the right to give you an idea of the size

and more hearts … as you can guess those are lots easier to make than a bird … for me at least

some I decided to embellish with wire and beads … thanks to my sister, Joie, I have a great bead selection … she kindly passes along the ones she’s gotten tired of

the BEE embellishment is from a piece of cut and punched cutlery and was done before Mr Magpie injured his finger … he will be on light duty for a bit

the blue polka dot heart I finished last night is made of wool … alpaca and silk blended roving with wire pushed through the center … some beads and a leather necklace

MANY thanks to Michelle for sharing her wool know how … she certainly got me going!!!

and BIG thanks to everyone that inspires me each and every day … you know who you are! oxoxo

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be sure and pop by my talented Queen Bee friend Carole’s blog to see her video about the wonderful online journal class she will be offering … so much eye candy all described in her cute kiwi accent

“The miracle is this: the more we share the more we have” ~Leonard Nimoy

WS: PARTY

“Party” is the theme this week at Wednesday Stamper

I am still in Frida mode and created a postcard with another of the beautiful painted backgrounds that the lovely and talented Linda in Norway gifted me with

*you can click for a close up of my postcard*

cutouts from a seed catalog…stamping…with white gel pen highlights

plus one  Impress rubber stamp

Note: to my blogspot friends, I have tried to leave comments on several blogs this morning with no success … I will of course be checking again later

Tea in Paris

Paris … Virginia … that is

I am sure I have mentioned before how much we enjoy heading for the hills

leaving some of the congestion of the metropolitan area behind is always a refreshing treat …only about an hours drive away

tea with Mr Magpie turned out to be hibiscus infused champagne … those blossoms were scrumptious

The Ashby Inn has a view of the gardens and surrounding hills from the veranda

a tiny hamlet with about fifty or so inhabitants …

two short streets … one church … the inn  … and an antique shop … no coffee shop or grocery store

charming and peaceful

the food was wonderful … we had to try hard and ignore a couple of tables with people talking on their yell phones … that seems to be a growing problem in public places … we lingered almost two hours in spite of the on and off annoyance

there was even a house for sale

a tempting thought to leave suburban life behind

thanks as always for stopping by for T … you can visit Kimmie at Art in Red Wagons for a complete list of T blog stops again this week

Moments like these …

with Love and gratitude to the sweet lady with the wicker pram

… my beautiful Mutti …

a young thing in Feldkirchen, Germany … some years ago now

that is me …  tucked into the carriage for what looks like a nice long ride

becoming a mother myself has been a true adventure of the heart… helping me understand my parents a little better

… our three boys are such a gift …

there was a time when I wondered how my broken heart could go on beating

there are no words to truly express my deep deep gratitude for each and every moment I have had with each of our boys

when you are in the middle of raising young children it can seem so intense and all consuming … then before you know it those days are behind you … had I known how quickly it would all go … I would have definitely kept better notes

~* Mother’s Day Blessings to mothers both present and absent *~

warmest wishes to all

oxoxo

footnote: we are headed over the river (Potomac) and through the woods for a very special visit with my Mutti

Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,
Hundreds of bees in the purple clover,
Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,
But only one mother the wide world over.
~George Cooper

*Footnote: I am submitting this post for Ana’s Friday Archive Dive theme of Mom little did I know that this would be my last Mother’s Day with my precious Mom…life is so fragile…so sweet and so mysterious…*

Numbers … 3 2 1 …

another pass of the books in our local altered arts group round robin … Leiann’s theme is “Numbers”

she chose an 1878 Common School Book-Keeping book with a beautiful cover and rich old pages of text

since number thirteen was already taken … I decided on doing a 3…2…1 spread

using one of my favorite altering techniques … you glue a couple of pages together … slice openings in graduated sizes … folding back the points

I added gesso … ink and paint

included on my pages are a couple of 7 Gypsies decorated masking tapes (it is wonderful stuff) … a heat molded Toolbox stamp that I made with the swirly pattern … rubber stamps and clip art

Loved how this lotus window happened …  the center bit is a photo copy from the front of the book

it will be exciting to see my Nature/Garden book again

*****

talk about exciting!!!

there are a couple of things I want to share with you in case you don’t know about them already

Jean of Bluebirds Living in the Meadow is celebrating her second Blogaversary … you will not want to miss a chance at the lovely prizes she is offering

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Caterina of La Dolce Vita (and other fab blogs) is offering some REALLY wonderful online classes … three different ones … be sure to visit her here to find out all about them

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I must say it is an honor and pure delight to know each of these kind, talented and lovely ladies here in the land of blog!!!

“It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds”~Aesop

my art friend, Dot, is very talented and industrious … it seems there is nothing she won’t try … she and I connected almost immediately … as time went on we realized we had quite a lot in common

Dot has hens and chicks …  a goodly number … I Love feathers

Photograph by Dot Ferrero

she surprised me with an envelope full of gorgeous feathers … such a fine variety … impossible to pick one favorite

the first thing I smelled when opening the package was lavender … which just happens to be one of my favorite scents

… she is a nature Lover and a gardener too …

an extra special gift was a pheasant feather that her son, Bruce, had given her 32  years ago

I was so touched and honored to receive it … you see Dot and I found out another thing we have in common … we have both lost sons … Dot’s Bruce was buried at sea … our Alex was killed one month before his 17th birthday … no wonder we connected so effortlessly

thanks again Dot … thinking of you this Mother’s Day and always

“Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all.” ~Emily Dickinson

speaking of feathers … have you checked on Molly and her owlets lately … my they have grown  … four young ones with wispy white feathers … heart shaped faces with huge beaks … swaying and doing their yoga stretches … in the next week or so the first young one should be ready for a test flight

Dress Up – May … bzzzz

May already! … spring has sprung here in Virginia

inspired by a new set of Catherine Moore stamps …………

*click away for the closeups*

here is my BEE dress for Margaret’s May Dress Up

bee sure to pop by Margaret’s blog to see the lovely haute couture coming in this month from all around the globe!

here you will find my January Winter White dress

my February Sweetheart dress

my March Jenny Wren dress

and my April Bluebell dress

“What is not good for the swarm is not good for the bee” ~Marcus Aurelius

WS: Flowers

flowers bring so much color and interest to life…they are among my favorite things

there is even a “language of flowers” which has been used to communicate feelings since Victorian times

this week’s challenge theme for Wednesday Stamper/Mittwochstempler is “flowers”

my postcard began with a beautiful painted background from Linda in Norway

a B Line Design arch stamp and a Rubber Stampede daisy stamp … flowers from Dover clip art and a seed catalog

clickable for closeups

the bluebird of happiness was not a frequent visitor at Frida’s Casa Azul
Here’s Hoping you all had a Happy Cinco de Mayo!