Pacific Sea Star Tea

 looking back on our trip to California in October of 2010…

this post has been in DRAFT for far too long now…

WHERE in the world has a year gone…

I still remember how entertained we were walking on Goat Rock Beach on the lookout for treasure…

what is it about wet shells and rocks that wink at you in the sand and whisper “take me home with you”…

there was sea glass too if you were very patient…

my great discovery was a brilliant Ochre Sea Star still too freshly gone to take home…

it looked like a Fabergé jewel incrusted ornament shimmering in the sunlight…

and complimented the embroidery on my tunic nicely…

we were warned by friendly locals to never turn our backs on the ocean…

they have signs warning about deadly Sleeper Waves…

a local lady who shared some sea glass with me had some stories to tell about those…

it was a short drive back to the sanctuary of Jenner where we were staying…

a bite to eat and some tea on the Russian River here…

we are excited about our upcoming return visit to a different part of California end of this month to attend our nephew’s wedding…

it was our sweet niece’s wedding that took us to the west coast last year around this time…

here’s wishing you a very happy T Tuesday

… be sure and visit Kimmie…

you never know where the T Tuesday bloggers will take you…

***if you are a Claudine Hellmuth fan her second book is my 10th giveaway over at my Magpie’s Nest Too blog***

July local “what do U see”…girls just wanna have fun…

Fran Podlesney’s cereal box tag called me this month from her bag of goodies…

I decided to go a little different way with her china doll image (not quite 5.5″ tall 13.97cm) by scanning it and printing out three smaller versions (each about 3″ tall 7.62cm)…

I was pleased with how the yellow and green ‘ruffle’ turned out at the bottom…

that was a piece of paper towel that Fran had wrapped a tiny glass bottle in…

the dotted pattern of the towel showed up nicely when inked…

I cut the string of “pearls” apart and put them in the glass bottle sealing the top with string and beeswax…

I added some pretty dotted fabric from my stash to the back of the tag…

can’t wait to see all of Fran’s tags together …

les filles veulent s’amuser = girls just wanna have fun in every language…

also can’t wait to show you the wonderful smooshed tin Linda Yeatman made for me

“what do U see”…Sing from your heart…

our local altered arts group had the first pass of our “what do U see” projects…

six of us committed to creating one project per month…

lucky for me Fran Podlesney picked my kipper tin to start out with…

she transformed my smooshed tin with alcohol inks and brilliant touches of this and that from some of my ingredients below…

included in my bag of goodies for each player were different images and assorted Yogi Tea tag verses…

Fran’s tag said “Sing from your heart”…

she cut the row of three boys apart arranging them like a choir with bits of peeled napkin and tissue paper behind them…

she used quite a lot of ingredients from my packet…adding a bit of bling to the crocheted flower center above…

that super half glass eye marble was ready and waiting on Fran’s work table to be used for something…

what a great start to our local swap…soon I will share what I created for our June swap

a Deb ‘sea’ surprise…

everything about Deb Christensen’s surprise package to me recently charmed the socks right off me…

she had me with her fish tail magic islands card…

and goodies galore…

her fresh water pearl and delicate sea glass necklace is beyond beautiful with its pretty silver chain…

I put it on right away…as I just happened to be wearing a pair of green sea glass earrings I got some years ago…

they are in no way as delicate as Deb’s jewelry creations…

a glass vial of fresh water pearls she carefully tucked in reminded me of mermaid’s tears…

or precious babies teeth…so very sweet…

the last packet of treasures I opened totally wowed me too…

how kind and generous of Deb to share some of her treasure trove of perfect rust and patina with me…

with touches of salt and sea and time spent on Alaskan shores…

a place I have only dreamed of…

if you have not yet had a chance to see the fish tail creations she’s made the last several years for a Kodiak Alaska Community Art Auction…you’ll definitely want to take some time to check them out here…

each one is a marvel…

be prepared to get sidetracked by her photography…storytelling and art posts…with SO much to enjoy!

Deb is a mixed media artist extraordinaire…

when I visit her blog and read about her life I am always entranced and feel richer and happier for it…

she’s a great cook and does that professionally in a really special setting each summer…

her absence in blogland for those months always makes my heart grow fonder awaiting her return…

BIG Yay for blog friends and art mail and wonderful surprises!!!

“i hope when you wear the necklace you will feel our misty cool sea breezes and smell the green cucumbery smell of the beaches!” ~Deb Christensen, Dy-ing to be yours

thank you dear Deb for sharing your talents…your art and your heart…it is people like you that help make blogland such a great place to be!!!

what makes us smile…AVAM

“It better befits a man to laugh at life than to lament it.” ~Seneca, Roman Philosopher, mid-first century A.D.

a day filled with art and quotes…blue skies and memories…

not exactly the celebration we had planned for my dear Mutti’s 80th birthday this spring weekend…

my mom left this world last month on 8 February peacefully…in her sleep…

Mr Magpie and I wanted to get out and do something to celebrate her special day…so we headed to nearby Baltimore, Maryland…also known as Charm City…

we visited a museum we have enjoyed on several visits in the past…

the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM)…

known for its outsider art collections…brilliant mosaics… sculptures and overall feeling of joy and celebration…

and there is my favorite tree…

the breeze creates the most magical tinkling sounds with the glass…

the sunshine reflects and dances all around…

after seeing it…I always want to go home and glue beads and mirrors to something…

so much to enjoy each time we visit…

it just so happened that the featured exhibit is  What Makes Us Smile...

we did not check ahead of time thinking whatever they were exhibiting would be enjoyable…

turned out it was a perfect reminder to SMILE and lighten up…

a bench lined with self inflated whoopee cushions made everyone giggle…did you know that the sale of whoopee cushions skyrocketed after the American Great Depression…

wish we’d had this printout before we went to the museum...lucky kids that get to go on school trips to AVAM…and you can just imagine what fun they have on the Razzberry Cushion bench above…

the No Photography inside the museum had me chomping at the bit because I did think of you all and how you would appreciate the humor and art and creativity…I could have shown you photos and not have written so much here…

you just have to see the mannequin of the life size man with huge fantastic mosaic mirrored wings hanging sideways/upside down…he lowers and rises again and again from the third story to the first floor…sparkling and dazzling…and WOW…

AVAM does have a nice website with photos to click…but truly it is just one of those places you have to see in real life to try to take it all in…

Patch Adams and his incredible Gesundheit Institute and aromatherapy work were featured…and so many great quotes…

“Humor is the shock absorber of life, it helps us take the blows” ~Peggy Noonan

one artist was inspired by Washoe, the first chimpanzee to learn American Sign Language...MORE TICKLE was one of her favored signed words…as in tickle me to make me laugh…animals laugh too…

“The only cure for vanity is laughter, and the only fault that is laughable is vanity.” ~Henri Bergson

there was an artist that spoke of his devotion to his parents … he created pieces with his fathers shirt and necktie fabrics…you can have a lookhere…very powerful in person…

“The burden of self is lightened when I laugh at myself.” ~Tagore Rabindranath

wish I had written down more artist’s names … then I may have been able to locate links to them…we were busy jotting down quotes…

“Can you tell a smile from a veil?” ~Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here

Gloria Garrett…the mother of makeup art has a wonderful story that puts a smile on one’s face too…

they have a great gift shop with lots of wacky stuff for sale…catering to all sorts of humor…great books and cards and more…it is always a happy place to visit…

we were on a mission to gather items to include in a box packed with snacks for our son’s childhood friend Matt who is stationed in Afghanistan…a couple of years ago we loaded up on items to send him in Iraq…

as you enter the AVAM museum there is a huge Mae West quote on the wall that reads:

“Too much of a good thing is wonderful!”

good night supermoon…Happy Spring

junkles reveal

...where did December and January go…

thought you might like to see the rest of the junkle ornaments that came in from the Queen Bees swap around the holidays…

I had shown you Linda’s lovely altered tart tin ornament earlier…the shredded text is a perfect touch don’t you think…I really have a thing for bees and bee skeps too…

Nathalie transformed a vintage lightbulb into a twinkling beaded dangle…

great touches of tinsel and “snow” really make it sparkle…

Margaret used bits from an old/vintage bracelet…the silver burst is a bit from an ornament bauble…

other delicate treasures complete this lovely piece…

Carole layered fabric and paper to make a pretty “snippet roll” as she’s named it…held onto a wooden spool with a carpet tack…it unfurls to reveal lots of loveliness…

highlighted with her special stitching…you too can make a snippet roll…she shares how to here...

and here is my thimble bell birdie ornament again…made out of old garland…beads…bird and thimble with a little jingle bell hanging inside…

it is always fun to see where creative people go with a theme…this swap was a real delight and began with inspiration from here!

*Happy Chinese New Year…The Year of the Rabbit*

*Wishing you Sparkling Happiness and Good Fortune this New Year*

thimble bells …

thimble bells…

thimble all the way…

the last swap of the season for me with my Queen Bee friends…

we challenged ourselves to use some junk or treasure and turn it into an ornament…

I was inspired by thimbles and little bells that I have had around for awhile…

I took apart a bird, bead and tinsel garland I bought some years ago…Mr Magpie drilled holes in the center of the thimbles as my attempt at doing it went cockeyed…I am more of a gluer than a driller I think…

the tiny round bells work perfectly inside the thimbles…they make a sweet tinkling sound…which brings to mind one of my favorite lines in Chris Van Allsburg’s book “The Polar Express…

Hero boy says:

“At one time most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I’ve grown old the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe.”

it’s really fun hanging out with so many people here in blogland that believe and care about the spirit and heart of things

… Brightest of Blessings to All … oxo

I am participating in this month’s Junkle Bells on Jill Ruth & Co here

Six Players: India pages from Gina …

another rotation in the Six Players swap … my theme is India … remember Marlynn’s amazing pages here … Gina Wise has sent these gorgeous pages that she made for me …

with the loveliest details…fabric…paper and more…

little tinkling bells…two kinds…

sari ribbon fabric done with a special hot tool finish that added great texture and interest… the beautiful silver piece behind the perfect Indian playing card for the back page was done with cardboard…duct tape and a cuttlebug…pretty amazing result…

the tiny Krishna shrine has little metal roses adorning it on the top…

Gina also made a precious little matchbox shrine that is wonderful with so many special layers…my photos really do not do the richness and depth justice…I have it right here by the computer to enjoy daily…

the Mehndi hands on the front and inside pages are amazing …done on alcohol ink colored pages…

I’ve always thought how exotic and fun that would be to have done…the lovely ribbons Gina included make a great addition to my growing India stash too…thank you so much Gina

* * *

my bloggie friend Ana of i made it so has a new fun feature called “friday archive dive”…you can see the button on my sidebar…it’s a brilliant idea and a nice chance to go back and visit blog posts from the past…all are welcome to play along…you can see this week’s prompt here and find out all about it…

there is still time to enter my giveaway if you haven’t had a chance to pop by…winners will be announced on Sunday

Tea and Treasures Times Many

Happy T Tuesday …

just had to share what was waiting for me after our long weekend away with our son in the country …

*vintage tea cup photo above by Katsui Jewelry*

I was the lucky winner of gorgeous jewelry creations from Suz and Kat of Katsui Jewelry and Robin Thomas of A Nest With a View…they collaborated on a special giveaway with not one … but two wonderful prizes … be sure and visit their etsy shoppes … all full to the brim with hand crafted treasures…

Suz decorated the front and back of this pretty envelope for me…I was so excited when I picked up the mail at the neighbor’s that I opened the package there so they could see what was inside too…

a matched set of beauty…I could not believe my good fortune…

Robin created the beautiful double sided Peace pendant and special linen gift bag too…silver is definitely what I enjoy wearing …

Suz and Kat created the delicate earrings with Czech glass flower beads and pearls…they move sweetly as I am wearing them…Yes… I dressed up for tea today ;)…

such a treat and honor to be connected to so many talented and giving artists … most of whom I have not even met in person … I keep counting my lucky stars for so much shared goodness and creativity … it’s a beautiful thing …won’t you join Kimmie and the other Tea Tuesday bloggers for a cup of whatever delights you here…

be sure and visit Halle here … she is having a generous and fun no strings attached giveaway …

“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 !!!

Charming Junk: Peace Be With You

what some people see as junk…… I see as charming

many thanks to Rosie for getting me going with her “charming junk” challenge for MMM this week

*click for before*

I have a few of these funky souvenir plates, not meant for food,  just decoration…at less than a dollar each….how could I resist!

*click for after*

I used a piece of junk paper that I use to protect my work table.  I have figured out why I like using these papers that catch ink, paint and stamping when I am creating.  There is also glue on the paper which offers a perfect resist and adds texture to your paper

Using one of my FREEBIE stone angels, I stamped, inked and highlighted with Signo White Gel Pen (I will add a few more white highlights, it takes patience and I got excited to post this) along with gold Krylon pen

gel medium worked well for gluing my collage to the china plate

Under the Sea

It is Wednesday Stamper/Mittwochstempler time again and my turn to select a theme.  I chose Under the Sea

these pages are part of my round robin Mermaid book.

Most of the background paper is fusion paper that I made with rubber stamping under and over the pages

pages torn and layered like waves, collected images, recycled seafood restaurant placemat, charms, netting from a bag of avocados, luggage label, mother of pearl button, odd earring and seed beads

a link from a sand dollar stretch belt, foil from a ‘fish’ chocolate, plastic envelope with sea ‘treasures’, including a button from a navy pea coat

it is challenging to capture these pages in photos  as there are so many layers and pages to turn

*click pictures for closeups*

be sure and visit WS for lots of wonderful under the sea eye candy

art heals

On the side of a gas station in Blacksburg, Virginia is a wonderful and inspirational mosaic covering the side wall.

This particular snippet speaks to me…….again and again…….

“Eventually you will come to understand that Love heals everything, and, Love is all there is.” ~Gary Zukav, American Author