ana’s friday archive dive: favorite post

all are welcome to join in…this week’s challenge is to show your favorite post…

I found this one VERY challenging…how to narrow it down to just ONE favorite…gosh…great idea from Estivalia…

here are a few that came to mind immediately:

our trip to Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens in 2008…

and later that year we got to see a Chihuly installation at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco…

a beautiful spring time post also came to mind…our visit to the Cherry Blossom Festival in nearby Washington DC…

finally I decided on a post about something I created…you can see more of it here…

*one of my favorite Photofunia frames*

each week Ana gives a different theme for her archive dive…

it’s fun and a nice way to visit new blogblogblogs…

check it out

…can you pick a favorite post?

‘sew’ much fun…

thanks to Robin-Marie Smith (and Terri at Pringle Hill where I first saw the video link) I have had lots of fun stitching sandwich bags into little gift bags and hangers…

darn if Robin-Marie didn’t inspire me again…

this time stitching on layers of dress pattern tissue paper…

which I just happen to have plenty of…

old patterns so often look like they could use rescuing when I see them stuffed into boxes in thrift shops…

priced for a song…

you know how it goes…

pattern tissue does make great gift wrap…

it’s a super texture layer in collage…

you can rubber stamp on it and more…

here is an example of how easily I get distracted…

came across my rubber stamp carving supplies while looking for something else and just had to get busy on a little heart stamp…

quick and easy…

I have been “thinking” about stamp carving again for a while now…

but back to sewing…

my “Sally” Singer…as I’ve just named her thanks to Jean’s brilliant suggestion the other day…

has been around for many many years…no big bells and whistles compared to today’s machines…

just perfect for me…

she sits on an old Singer wooden cabinet…

the metal treadle still in place..

my Mutti got it for me…

she said that every household can use a sewing machine…even if it is just for mending now and then…

wise words from an expert seamstress and creative genius…

have you seen any of Robin-Marie’s videos…she happens to do so many things so well and generously shares her passion to create…she inspires me again and again…

I must admit I do not always sit still for written instructions…

it happens to me often with magazines…

I have the best intentions to go back and actually read them…but find I get inspired by just looking…

watching someone create is always special…

remember the German lace curtains I cut up and tea dyed…

I have been using bits of the lace here and there…making postcards and hearts that I still need to show you…

it is nice to feel more in the swing of things again…it took me awhile to catch my balance after the holidays…

I am happiest when I am making something…it is also great fun to share things with you here…

wishing you a lovely day full of what makes you happy

cherish

lovely the power that a single word can have…
thanks to Halle for sharing that cleaning her sewing machine got it up and running again…Mr Magpie took a look at my machine…and sure enough dust bunnies were everywhere… after a little cleaning I am back in business and have been busy stitching postcards and hearts…

my mostly fabric postcard was stitched onto a 4 x 6″ piece of watercolor paper using an assortment of fabrics…rickrack…book text…vintage lace and the image printed on cotton…I combine sewing and light gluing...

don’t those red buttons look like candy…

“I have come to understand that every day is something to cherish.”  ~Kerri Strug

**remember the gorgeous clay arch pendant I won over at Diva Designs recently…wait until you see Lynda’s latest giveaway…it IS wonderful…***

we got our first “real” snow of the season last night…

it blew in sideways…heavy wet snow bending some tree branches to the ground…there was even thunder…

WS: Inky Backgrounds

this week’s Wednesday Stamper/Mittwochstempler challenge is Inky Backgrounds…Belinda has outdone herself with a really super tutorial here…

and I am still playing with tags…

I used lots of different stamps and blended inks to create these…front and back…

all tucked into a library pocket…just because

tea and trust…

happy T Tuesday to you…

chilly temperatures make it especially nice for sipping a piping hot cup of Yogi Chai tea today…I rescued this mug at a thrift shop…the odd oval shape at the top doesn’t really show in the photo…it surely has a story to tell…no clues or markings on the bottom…

a while ago now Steph of Purple Lotus Art surprised me with a sweet package of goodies all the way from Singapore…

the precious little magnetic “trust” canvas she created now graces our refrigerator next to a Loving-Kindness Metta blessing that has been there for quite awhile…they seem to go together perfectly…

“trust” … a seemingly simple enough word…full of hope … integrity and strength…confidence and more…thank you so much dear Steph…

“Follow your heart, but be quiet for a while first.  Ask questions, then feel the answer.  Learn to trust your heart.” ~author unknown

this beautiful bridge…

blogging continues to surprise and delight me…connecting hearts and minds…

all around the globe with opportunities to enjoy so much creativity and fun conversation…

it feeds my wanderlust nicely…

here we are all dancing under the same moon…

more alike than different…

wait until you read what my sweet soul sister Marit in The Netherlands wrote…oh my…SO precious…

here is just a peek at the journal page she created about “Connection”…you can see her entire page here

*thank you’s overdue to Pat and Lynn and Dot and Jean for the gorgeous swans*

thoughtful gifts of all kinds from so many generous friends…

*many thanks to Marilyn for the beautiful encaustic canvas and card*

Estivalia in Chile has done it once again…this time she set up my Word of the Year link on my sidebar for me…

she understands computer code like nobody’s business…her English is impeccable and she is quite the artist too…thank you so much once again E!!!

here is a peek at a wonderful postcard Terri just surprised me with…it certainly did brighten my day…

I have spent a good bit of time on this post and still have more thank you’s outstanding…

my thanks to each of you for one of the greatest gifts…whether you have a blog or not…

the gift of your time    oxoxo

gothic arch pendant

it was my good fortune recently to be the lucky winner of a really gorgeous giveaway…

Lynn of Her Creative Spirit and Lynda of Diva Designs collaborated on this generous giveaway…Lynn offered her image for Lynda to create beautiful clay transfer pendants with…

it is stunning front and back…

Lynda will be having monthly giveaways…so be sure and check out her blog…you will be dazzled by her polymer clay and gemstone jewelry here as well

footnote: I have no idea WHY the font toward the end of this post is smaller? does not appear that way in my Edit Post version on my Dashboard??? I even tried retyping it…AND why is this footnote the proper size??? I seem to be having a tech challenged week on several fronts…my sewing machine is misbehaving too … boohoo!

India from the heART land

another pass in the Six Players group swap…

Elizabeth‘s tag…stitched with golden thread…really set the flavor of her inspired elephant pages for my India theme…

she knows I have a thing for elephants…to see more of my elephant posts…you can type the word elephant in the LOOKING FOR SOMETHING Search block to the right on my sidebar…

the addition of the marcasite elephant beads…just perfect…

marcasite and rhinestone jewelry trumps diamonds for me every time…

being able to touch these pages is definitely part of the enjoyment…

so many great details…I discover new things each time I sit with the pages…

her post today gives super details of her creative process which always fascinates me…her close up pics are brilliant too…

Elizabeth is a natural…the way she layers and collages with her sewing machine is inspiring…

last and certainly not least…the heart of India to me… Mahatma Gandhi…loving called Bapu or Father…Elizabeth dotted her “i”s with perfect marcasite moons…she totally outdid herself capturing the heart and essence of India…

here are my India pages so far…I am going to have to come up with a really special cover to house these amazing pages…my original idea of using a Simple Abundance cover is not going to work as these pages are already so bodacious…

I was amazed when Elizabeth’s bulging envelope arrived with extra goodies galore…

the ceramic teacup made the journey perfectly in tact…

as if these beautiful India pages were not enough Elizabeth created one of her stitched journals for me…

the really special denim journal cover was stitched by Halle…

with a great pocket sewn in the front cover to hold pens…

it is impossible to show you all of Elizabeth’s sewn pages…

there are two signatures packed with goodness…

again so much to discover on each and every page…

I will have to think of something very special to do with this wonderful journal…

for now I am really enjoying just turning the pages…

many many thanks Elizabeth and Halle too!!!

imagine

this week the Wednesday Stamper/Mittwochstempler challenge is all about Tags...

it was fun transforming a plain jane manila tag and a couple of stamps

with bits of fabric…paper… lace and button

into this…

“Imagination is the beginning of creation.  You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.” ~George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950

Tangerine Tea

actually Mr Magpie would say…clementine …

he creates these lovely swirlies by peeling them from the fruit in one piece…

I discovered the secret…how you begin is the important part…it took a little doing…

with the help of a weight and heat from something like a woodstove or patience over time…you can get them to dry nice and flat…notice the one on the left which was not weighted down…

the life swoosh

is a shape I am drawn to

again and again…

tea today is my favorite home made yogi chai tea…

tea and oranges…fun to play with your food…

Happy T Tuesday…Kimmie will be around for tea soon…she is on west coast time which is about three hours behind us here on the east coast…

Sew Somerset Magazine *WinnerS*

thank you to all who joined in my magazine giveaway…I originally planned to give away one SEW Somerset…

then I decided why not add a second copy and double the fun…

here are the TWO winners chosen randomly…

and

congratulations…I will contact you both for your mailing addresses

the heart of life is good…

the outpouring of Love and Support around the anniversary of our son’s death has lifted our hearts in so many ways…

we are shimmering in the glow of kindness extended by each of you…

so many thank you’s…so much gratitude…

I feel blessed and proud to be amongst so many sharing and caring people here in blogland…

I think sometimes it is impossible to know how much a word or gesture affects the lives of others…

heartfelt thanks to each of you for being you and for reaching out to me and my family…

it is a beautiful thing and most appreciated…

~* Brightest of Blessings to All * ~

“If you rest…you rust”

lots to show and tell here…you may want to grab a cup of something …

Elizabeth received my rust pages in our Six Players swap so I can now show them to you here … they measure approx 8 x 11 inches … I enjoyed her rust theme very much…

in fact Mr Magpie and I had collected some special rusty bits on a walk we took on a beautiful day in October of last year crossing Key Bridge into Washington, DC…

while we were out and about we climbed the “exorcist stairs” just across the bridge in Georgetown…

here is a little of what we saw walking up…a good excuse to pause and catch our breath …we were amazed that we have lived in this area a large part of our lives and had never done the climb before…

when I first created these pages for Elizabeth the page with the swans was intended as the first page…

after living with the pages for a bit I realized the swan page made a better last page…Elizabeth will be punching holes in the pages to fit a three ring binder so she can arrange them any way her heart desires…

this page photographed lighter than it is in real life…odd but true…finally got to use some of my soaked cigar band strips…LOTS of layers of paint…some rubber stamping…more paint all around a rusty star on a piece of text from Seth Apter’s Disintegration Collaboration…

the piece of rusty looped metal made a great embellishment with a piece of torn and tea dyed handkerchief fabric…

the stone face is a photo I took at the US Botanic Gardens near the US Capitol in Wash DC…I am always drawn to the stone faces when we visit and have photos from every angle…

the Helen Hayes quote…”If you rest you rust” seemed to really fit the bill…if you know Elizabeth at all you know that she is not one to hold still for long…always into trying something new or perfecting a technique she’s tried before AND documenting in detail on her blog to inspire and teach us all…

another rusty star on book text with a great round rusty washer…I did hit the rusty bits with a coating of gel medium since rust never sleeps …

the lady in the smooshed Starbuck’s drink lid was filled with Diamond Glaze…

a bit of rusty chain that Mr Magpie spied on the bridge…we found treasures coming and going…

it was fun to add fabric and crocheted doily bits as well…eventho I used 140lb water color paper…it buckled with the many layers of paint…I thought that added a bit to the old look and feel of the pages…

using some of my favorite map tissue paper for background…paint washes…a bottled water label (we are always soaking cool labels off things)…and a couple more rusty found treasures…

just had to stamp the hand on some pattern tissue as Elizabeth and I share a fondness for hands…she’s done some great work around hands…with at least one altered book on the subject…

last is an ATC I made using some bits from the pages I created…

this certainly was fun…makes me want to make something rusty for myself…I can’t wait to photograph the amazing India pages Elizabeth created for me…I will be showing those here soon…

last chance today to join in my SEW Somerset magazine giveaway…the winner will be announced on Sunday

on this day…1999

“You will lose someone you can’t live without, and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved.   But this is also the good news.   They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through.   It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly—that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp.”  ~Anne Lamott

thank you Cat for the perfect quote…

how can it be twelve years since our beautiful son left us…

it seems like only yesterday

AND an eternity all wrapped in one…

Mr Magpie came across this precious little thumb print drawing that Alex made when he was a month away from turning seven…

metamorphosis

…it was here all the time…

waiting to be discovered…

we were stunned when we saw the date…13 Jan 1989…

I keep trying to capture the sweetness of life as I continue dancing with this limp…

I thought that maybe this year I would not say anything here about the anniversary date…but then decided it would not be very authentic of me to go on as if nothing were different on this day…it does seem to carry more weight than other days…

maybe I need to hear myself say… even though the unimaginable happened…

there is Hope

and by the Grace of God…we keep moving forward…

thank you for being here…I know we are each touched by grief and loss at some time in this life  oxoxo

“I hope you jump in rain puddles” ~Faces of Hope, Children born on 9/11, President Obama’s 12 Jan 2011 speech

make your own kind of *music*

Music is my theme choice for the Wednesday Stamper challenge this week…be sure and stop by during the week to see all of the creative offerings there…won’t you join us…all you have to do is create something using at least one rubber stamp and leave your link at the WS challenge blog…

music has always been a very important part of my life…

Nietzsche had it right when he says:

“Without music life would be a mistake.”  ~Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

I do not play an instrument…well… I can wiggle/vibrate my fingers on my lips to make it sound like a balalaika playing Laura’s Theme from Dr Zhivago…but that doesn’t really count as playing an instrument…

I sing mostly in private…when I was a teenager I would come home from school with the house all to myself and sing into my father’s reel to reel … I know that makes me sound ancient…some of you may be wondering WHAT that is exactly LOL… holding the microphone I would sing along with Dionne Warwick singing Walk on By and other tunes…my very own kind of karaoke long before I had ever heard of such a thing…ahhh youth

…that was quite a bit of quirky sharing now wasn’t it…

*you can click for a closer look at my many layered painted and stamped postcard background*

music can lift you up…take you to another time and place…sooth your soul…

make you want to dance…make you want to sing…bring tears to your eyes…take you from one mood to another in an instant…

“I have my own particular sorrows, loves, delights; and you have yours.  But sorrow, gladness, yearning, hope, love, belong to all of us, in all times and in all places.  Music is the only means whereby we feel these emotions in their universality.”  ~H.A. Overstreet

Irish Tea and German Lace

piping hot tea really hits the spot today…

perfect for dipping my Mutti’s delicious German Anise Seed cookies…. she makes them each year around the holidays…they always taste delicious…this year they look perfect too…

notice the separated layers…which she attributes to a full 45 minutes of mixing with the electric mixer…yum!

I have been busy tea dying some pieces of old damaged lace curtain that my Mom shared with me…tea gives instant patina…

wishing each of you a Happy T Tuesday…thank you as always for stopping by…Kimmie has a new button at the top of her blog “What is Tea on Tuesday”…check it out…

“Make it thy business to know thyself, which is the most difficult lesson in the world. ~Miguel de Cervantes