Summertime

I'm already dreaming of summertime. I don't know about you but winter is a real drag here in central PA. Gray, gray and more gray days. Aaaaaahhhhhh.....

So anyway, I woke up this morning thinking about the trip to Florida we will take in June and the Family reunion we will attend in Virginia in July and then all of the weekend trips we will take to see mom in Baltimore. Trips to DC, Old Town Alexandria, VA, will all be along the way to and from.

The beach beckons us, as well. Here , we have a few state parks with beaches, picnic areas, canoes, volleyball nets, etc. Fun, fun!

Where are you going this summer? In mind body or spirit. :)

This is the latest custom journal I have created for a lovely lady by the name of Bell. She wanted something colorful like her personality, a place to journal and a few places for pictures or momentos.

Journaling seems to be all the rage. A place to put your thoughts, inspirations, sketches, pictures, etc.

Snail Mail

Well, quite honestly who doesn't love good 'ol snail mail? I do, my kids do, well actually my husband loves being the one to check the mail, so I guess it's unanimous.

Only problem is that letters are far and few between. So, I opted to get a penpal, like when I was a kid. I had one in Norway when I was about 10. It was fun but I moved lost her address and that was the end of that. :(

So now I have two penpals; Polly in the UK and Jennifer in Missouri. It has been so much fun writing back and forth with these two ladies. We all get excited when we get our leters and bits here and there. We have shared stories, dreams, inspirations, family happenings, etc.

Emailing somehow does not the same appeal, with all of the jokes you've read 3 or 10 times, spam, and ads, etc.

Sometimes it may take me 3 sittings to complete a letter with life being as hectic as it is but I just write the date above that section and move on. Jennifer and Polly do the same so we all understand that time is precious and there are good intentions made by all.

Do you like to get or send snail mail?

Fun, fun, fun!

These 3 darling little boxes are one of my latest creations. I picture them on a lovely springtime table, holding thoughtful words, special memories, quotes or even a piece of jewelry. They are suitable for a Mothers Day gift, a bridal shower, a friends birthday, or even to mark a place setting for a luncheon.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! Well, we colored eggs so I wanted to share them with you. Even though our youngest is 15 we still like to have fun with traditions. Matter of fact, I put together an easter basket for her with a 1lb chocolate bunny and then all sorts of girly stuff like nail polish, tweezers (cuz she's always borrowing mine), emery boards, hand cream, hairbands, these really neat locking bobby pins that I had never seen before, a cellphone case with a rhinestone heart at corner and of course jelly beans (starburst flavored), sixlets and that's about it.

I bought this neat kit that has egg shaped cookies in it that you decorate. Kind of a take off of the old gingerbread house thing. It should be fun to see how creative we can be.

Enjoy your Easter! Hope your home is full of love and laughter today.

Hugs,

Tammy

Mixed Media Clock

Well, here is one of the mixed media clocks I have been working on this past week or so. I have another that is robins egg blue with a tree like vine and a birds nest at the center of the clocks hands. It has a scalloped edge on the top and bottom. I will post pics after the scalloped edge has cured.

These are so much fun! They are functional art. What could be better?! What is your latest project?

I woke up this morning to 4" of snow! Yep, snow. ugh! Someone please send me some sunny warm days, please oh please. :)

Well, I have 3 journals to make, so I guess I better run for now. Have a lovely Saturday. It is my favorite day of the week, cuz' a. no work b. no work tomorrow, c. sleep in, d. date night with hubby, should I go on?

Tell me what your favorite day is and why.

Hugs,

Tammy

Happy St. Paddy's Day!!! Irish Blessings and Whatnots

Happy St. Paddy's Day. Here are a few blessings for you!

Irish Blessings:

May your right hand always

Be stretched out in friendship ,And never in want

May you always have walls for the winds,

a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,

laughter to cheer you,

those you love near you,

and all your heart might desire.

May you be blessed always with,

A sunbeam to warm you,

A moonbeam to charm you,

A sheltering Angel so nothing can harm you!

May peace and joy surround you.

Contentment latch your door.

And Happiness be with you Now and Bless you ever more!

May you be poor in misfortunes and rich in blessings.

May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.
May good luck be your friend In whatever you do

And may trouble be always A stranger to you.

May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light.

May good luck pursue you each morning and night.

Nature in our surroundings

Ah...nature. This time of year is so exciting. You get to watch the birds mate and nest. The males are singing to their mates and dancing that special dance that they do.

They are gathering nesting supplies and creating those special havens for their little ones.

My daughter holds 3 little frogs. Sooo cute! They were by the lake. She loves nature, also. It is amazing if you think about all of the cycles it goes through. Every season you can count on the same things happening. It's a relief to see all of the birds and hear them singing. You know spring is truly here. The crocus are popping up their little heads reaching for the sky. What a wonderful sight.

The temperatures have been in the 50's, just warm enough to open a window and air out the house. Makes me want to start my spring cleaning. Ha! Did I say that? Wish I could afford a maid.

A stroll through the California Redwoods

These are a few pictures to show you the scale of some of the California Redwoods. The forest was awesome and full of these larger than life giants! It was so much fun to walk on the downed ones if you could get up on them. I did but then slipped. Typical for me. lol Anyway, that vehicle was our Mitsubishi Montero Sport and was it ever dwarfed.

These pics are from a few years back, maybe 4-1/2. That is my husbancd standing next to the cut trunk and I am standing on the trunk to show size. Wow is all I can say. If you ever get the chance to visit, you should.

Artful Blogging

Today, I discovered even more wonderful places to check out. Some were in this magazine and others are fellow etsiers. So if you have a free minute check out the links I have listed below. Some real eye candy and some really fun places to stop by. Jared in Kansas is a new one and his photography is exquisite! You have to at least have a peek in his shop which is linked from his blog. It's worth the trip. Trust me.

If you have a blog and would like to share the link with me, I promise to check it out. I love to travel and this is like travellng to me. New places, new sights and sounds. Pretty pics and a peek into some wonderful worlds. So, in advance thanks for sharing.

So many blogs...so little time

Wow, it is amazing how many fun blogs there are out here in cyberspace. So many pretty, fun, and whimsical places to see. What a joy it has been discovering some kindred spirits here. I have listed links so that you can enjoy checking them out, as well. I love to share a good thing. Hmmm... that sounded like Martha, didn't it? :-)

Anyway, as I find them my list will increase, so check back often.

Did you get a chance to pick up a copy of Artful Blogging by Somerset? If not, you should at least give it a skim through. Such lovely places to visit.

It has been raining, snowing, windy and cold here. I am about over winter, darn it! Bring on the sunshine. We actually had a gorgeous day Monday with 60' weather. I must be greedy cuz' I want more.

Wedding Guest Book

Yay, we made it through Monday. We're on our way now.

I finally finished a wedding guest book. It was fun to create but time intensive. This will make its way to Ochos Rios, Jamaica next month. Lucky book! The theme was starfish, white orchids with hot pink and the beach, of course. So each page is 12" x 12" with a patterned or colored paper. There is a 4 x6 mat on each page and a parchment notecard and envelope with a decorative label on the outside of that and then a tag. The idea was for their guests to leave a note, piece of advice or whatever for the new bride and groom and then a polaroid will also be placed on the mat leaving room for the name of the guests in the photo. The tag is for whatever they decide to use it for.

Agapegems.etsy.com is the bride to be. She has pretty jewelry in her shop.

Book Hunting

Oh what fun I had today with my mother. We went to historic Bellefonte. We had lunch and then we were off to this really great antique shop that used to be an old theatre. All of the floors slant downward. It is chock full of goodies. It has 3 levels and each booth houses their own treasures. We love it. I picked up some old books that I will use to make some altered art journals and also for use as inspiration. I love old books, as long as they do not smell musty! I even picked up this great 1928 childrens book for I fell in love with the cover and the illustrations. It was sure fun going on a treasure hunt. Mom bought a couple of old windows and some Stained Glass books, as well. It was a nice afternoon together. We enjoy one anothers company. What did you do this weekend?