a journey...

Hats

2012-01-31T09:17:00.000-07:00

Going through my photo folders last night I saw that for some reason I have a lot of photos of women in hats.

I'm not a hat person, but when conditions dictate, I'll wear one. A knit one for cold weather, a headband for 'not so' cold weather, and a baseball cap (Life is Good) in the summer. My hair is really thick, so wearing something on top of it makes me way too warm. So if I can get away without a hat, that's great.

These women in the photos surely LOVE hats! And the bigger and stranger the better. For ages, women weren't 'dressed' without one. And then you had to have the outfit to compliment your bonnet! Such slaves to fashion our ancestors were.

Hats, back in the day, could have so many names: chapeau, bucket, bonnet, headgear, lid, topper, and cap. Or you could be Carmen Miranda and wear fruit quite successfully! Whatever worked!

I loved the bowler that Diane Keaton wore in Annie Hall. She looked so funky and gave the fashion world a whole new avenue. A bowler on me would look ridiculous, so I bow to those who have taken the chance to be different and get away with it!

Do you wear hats? What are your thoughts on them? Or are you like me and go without?

Today I'll wear my favorite (not so clean) baseball cap while out for a run. Only because it keeps the sun out of my eyes and my hair out of my face! Practical me!

New Boys on the Block

2012-01-29T19:43:00.002-07:00

I love when a new-ish blogger is introduced to me through the grapevine of blogland.

Please go over to meet Bob and Eric who have escaped the big city and it's trappings to settle into the life of farming. How impressive that in this time of our lives, there are those adventurous souls who strike out with the belief that they can BE themselves. To do what they love. Applause applause applause! The name of their 'casa' is JUST BE FARM. They'll explain that to you!

I hope you'll go over for a visit and go back and watch the farm grow. I just know there will be some great stories coming from these two.....they seem to have a great sense of humor and caring hearts. Read about their dog that they rescued and you'll see what I mean. AND, they are having a giveaway, too. Sa-weet!

Welcome Bob and Eric. And I want to see your knitting! I 'dabble' myself!

I hate plumbing problems

2012-01-29T12:10:00.001-07:00

Don't YOU?

Over at COLLAGE OBSESSION this week, the challenge was TOOLS. Ok, I admit it. I stay out of the garage and don't touch things that I shouldn't. This is a good thing....ask my husband.

Plumbing is one area that is completely foreign to me. That's why plumbers were invented. Call one of them and make them fix it. NOW!

Playing with Filters

2012-01-28T10:23:00.002-07:00

There are SO many fun artistic ideas swirling in my head, it's no wonder I can't sleep! And I should know better than to read a book in the evening that plays to that. Apparently I'm a slow learner!

This is the result of that book:

PETALS in COLOR.

Those beige petals in the bottom left corner were the beginning of photo-play. I scattered them on my copier and scanned them. Aren't they fun? I think they are to be used in a vase to hold artificial flowers.

By sending that image to Photoshop, I was able to add different filters to obtain a completely different look to each photo. I used tints, reverse color, inverted, posterized, and even painted the leaves different colors. There is a soft filter on the pink image and I used a focal point on the gold one.

Yesterday I spent most of the day playing with the petals. THEN, I had an idea to use a different image to do similar techniques. Of course, I was awake until midnight thinking about that! This morning I got down to business and created a whole new collage with trucks. I'll post that soon.....

All this in in preparation for a class that I am taking at Art & Soul in March. There are 3 classes on my agenda, but the photography class has got my head spinning with ideas! CATHERINE ANDERSON is the instructor and has written a wonderfully informative book called THE CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHER and I've been devouring her techniques and ideas since I bought it. She's quite inspirational.

Today? Well, the wind is blowing (yet again) so running outside is not going to happen. Looks like the gym and the treadmill with my I-Pod singing in my ears! And no doubt thinking about photo manipulations.

Yep, I'm obsessed. But at least it's not fattening!

Not much........

2012-01-26T11:52:00.002-07:00

going on here right now. The weather's warm so there is no skiing. What's a girl to do?

A little running and some hiking.

Mind you, I'm not a marathoner, but I do enjoy getting outside and seeing how far I can run before my lungs give out. And I LOVE hiking, which is much easier, so we've been doing tons of that! Yesterday was so pretty and hubby & I went for a 5 miler. There wasn't a soul out on the trail except us. Kind of like it was OUR trail. Peaceful and quiet.

When the 'snow-shoe' drops, out will come the back country skis and snowshoes.

But until then, there is not one bit of whining coming from my lips. This weather is especially rare and I'm taking advantage of it. In fact, I went to the mailbox today in flip flops.

I hope you are having a good week where ever you are.

PS: that is NOT me in the photo. I'm not that young and don't have a ponytail! sigh.....

ELEPHANT

2012-01-23T14:05:00.001-07:00

This Monday, over at COLLAGE OBSESSION, we were to take an image of an Elephant and play with it. I recently watched a touching documentary on PBS about these beautiful and amazing creatures. They are more 'human' than we first thought and cry real tears. They love and play and fight and have a strong bond to one another. Just like humans.

Here is my digital photo ~ for the Elephants:

I used an image of a south African park, overlayed it with an elephants eye, and placed a touching photo in the bottom right of what could only be described as 'elephant love'. The quote speaks for itself.

Hearts a plenty

2012-01-23T08:43:00.002-07:00

I am participating in a HEART SWAP over at Cozy Blanket with my friend Debbie. I'm so happy she asked me play along and when everything is all done, I'll have 6 pretty little hearts from other girls in the swap.

Here are the ones I made:

There are three more exactly the same, but I didn't want to crowd the photo.

I used chipboard hearts & painted them pink, over-stamped with polka dots and hearts, and then added some 'romantic' ephemera and a sweet little couple. Buttons, flowers and lace and they are finished!

Today, I am sending them all to Debbie for her to distribute and I will be sure to post the hearts I get so you can see them.

Hearts and Valentines Day. My favorite time of the year. AND, my anniversary!

NOT so Silent Sunday

2012-01-21T20:20:00.000-07:00

S is for.......

SEA OTTER!

You see, this fall my husband and I are seriously considering going to Monterey, CA for a visit. Never having been there before, we were TOTALLY smitten with the travel booklets we've looked at.

AND, I'm totally smitten with SEA OTTERS!

How can you not love these faces????? And the babies are even MORE precious.

SO, if you've been to Monterey, live there, or know somebody who does.....let me know. Any and all information about the area would be MUCH appreciated. We want to do a really 'local' trip and get to know the area on foot and bike and kayak.

Oh, and see the OTTERS!

Happy 'not so silent Sunday' all.

Snow Memories

2012-01-20T10:54:00.001-07:00

Growing up in western NY state, winter could be a cold and white place that lasted for months. Unlike Colorado (my home for 35 years), snow of my childhood was wet! Big fat flakes fell from the sky to cover the ground for months.

As a child of 3, playing outside in snow was great fun:

Here I am in my very fashionable snowsuit (does anyone wear these anymore?) of green. Boots with fake fur that zipped up the front. A questionable hat that did not cover my hair (thus 'frozen curls') and mittens that became wet and cold almost instantly. But, hey, I was 3! This was FUN!

Here we have the DRESSY version of "snow-wear". Wool leggings and coat, with a hat to match (please notice that my curls were still sticking out). Apparently I was headed someplace special and seem to have a paper (invitation?) in my left hand. But check out that SMILE! Maybe it's because I loved that outfit (which I remember as deep red in color). Or perhaps it's because I always had a smile on my face. Hey, I was 3!

At this moment in time, we are not having snow in Colorado. It dances around us and teases us with an inch or two. Then the wind blows it away before it has a chance to put down roots. We may have shoveled 5 times all winter and it's not looking good for the next storm that is making it's way east. Temperatures in the 40's aren't helping the cause, either.

But I'm a smart cookie.....the shoe is going to drop and we'll be up to our eyeballs in the white stuff. Happens every spring.

Here is some SNOW TRIVIA for you:

~ snowflakes have six sides

~ the largest snowflake fell in MT and was 15" in diameter

~ the 'snow capitol' of the US is Stampede Pass, WA with 430" per yr

~the average snowflake falls at the rate of 3.1 mph

Today? We're off for another hike without our heavy coats and some sneakers.

I'm not complaining!

DANCE

2012-01-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

Over at Collage Obsession, we were asked to use the theme of DANCE for our weekly challenge. Who better than Fred to lead us off:

Along with some lyrics from ABBA, these two seem to be ready to party!

Silent Sunday

2012-01-14T17:01:00.000-07:00

Shadow Play

2012-01-13T16:30:00.000-07:00

This pumpkin was leftover from October and it almost was thrown into the trash.....until I spied the snowbank in the backyard that was leftover from our last snowy day. Kismet:

"Look round and round upon this

bare bleak plain,

and see even here,

upon a winter's day,

how beautiful the shadows are!"

Charles Dickens

Down by the river

2012-01-11T11:50:00.002-07:00

We are experiencing warm weather here in my corner of the world. Not good for winter sports, but perfect for hikes and even bikes!

Yesterday we walked along the river in perfect comfort. Fortunately I had my camera with me!

What do YOU see in the river?

I saw a HEART, but my husband couldn't. Seems obvious to me.....how about YOU?

Either way, it was too nice a day to stay inside. The kind of day we'll remember in the middle of February in a blizzard!

On the way back to town, I spotted a fence gate sitting all alone in a field. Sad. But the view through the fence was beautiful. The Collegiate Peaks were framed by the gate perfectly. The end of a perfect day!

A Good Read

2012-01-09T16:37:00.001-07:00

I have recommended books before (and love to know what YOU are reading, too), so here is a really great book by a new author. It is a page-turner:

Not only is the book cover gorgeous (yes, I DO judge a book by it's cover), but this author is a gifted story teller. Her website is really nice and her bio is too cute.

The Bird Sisters will charm you as you develop a love for Milly and Twiss, two sisters bound together for life. Their hardships and joys will touch your heart, like mine. AND, I truly hope that Ms Rasmussen is penning another novel. She is meant to write.

The eyes have it

2012-01-08T11:42:00.000-07:00

Our challenge at Collage Obsession this week was EYES. Here is my interpretation:

Silent Sunday

2012-01-07T17:52:00.000-07:00

"Solitude is painful when one is young,

but delightful when one is more mature".

Albert Einstein

Birds of a feather

2012-01-04T20:31:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, in my mailbox, was a box with my name on it.....from my friend Linda in Oklahoma (remember I was at her house in December?) Oh, I thought, it's the Mary Kay order I placed.

Wrong.

But what was inside made me smile and made my heart sing:

A BIRD. And a GREEN BIRD.

But wait, what's this?

Another bird!

They both have pear-shaped bodies!

Oh, Linda knows me so well. Birds and Pears are two of my favorite things!

They now reside in my living room on the sofa table. Aren't they adorable?

There is a saying I once saw that said to "Hold a true friend with both your hands".

Linda is that person. And her gift, from the heart, touched me deeply.

Thank you.

RELICS

2012-01-03T20:37:00.003-07:00

Old rusty trucks. If only they could speak....

"I've seen fire and I've seen rain"

James Taylor

"It's surprising how much memory is

built around things unnoticed at the time".

Barbara Kingsolver

"Don't cry because it's over.

Smile because it happened".

Dr. Seuss

Still Life with Pears

2012-01-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

Collage Obsessions weekly challenge: STILL LIFE.

Since I love pears, this genre spoke to me.

New Year Wishes

2011-12-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

Ring out the old!

Ring in the new!

A toast to a new year filled with hope and happiness.

Winter River

2011-12-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

"Or like the snow falls in the river,

A moment white ~ then melts for ever"

Robert Burns

"Sit by a river. Find peace

and meaning in the rhythm of the

lifeblood of the Earth".

Anonymous

"Let the mountains talk

Let the river run

Once more, and forever"

David Brower

Winter Wonderland

2011-12-25T16:49:00.000-07:00

For a Collage Obsession challenge.....create a photo depicting WINTER.

Brrrrrrrrr!

My wish for you

2011-12-23T15:21:00.000-07:00

I'll be taking a short break from blogging until after the new year, but will be taking photos, snowshoeing, skiing, and making some art along the way.

See you in 2012.

Holiday wishes

2011-12-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

The holiday season is FAST approaching!

Children have made their lists to Santa, the baking of cookies has started, gift wrap is standing in the corner, and the snow is coming (well, at least here in CO).

We used to have a Schnauzer who looked almost like this picture. Her name was Maggie and she lived to the age of 13. My 'third child', if you must know! I adored her. But she HATED hats! Our daughter was really fond of dressing little Maggie in her doll clothes and one day into the kitchen runs Maggie with a paper hat on her head and a too-tight rubber band under her chin. She was not a happy girl. And I think we all had a good chuckle at her expense. Oh, dear!

It is snowing here and another storm is coming tomorrow night. So it looks like it is going to be picture perfect around here. I hope you are getting ready for your celebrations, too. No matter what your customs are, my hope is that all of us have a PEACEFUL year ahead.

Be grateful, be kind, and be thankful. Each and everyone of us.

Good to be home

2011-12-17T14:35:00.002-07:00

Well, we're home safe and sound. And I've done TONS of laundry (I think the last count was 7 loads).

Isn't it funny how you plan and plan for a trip and when it's done ~ well, it seems to have flown by! Both my husband and I are so happy we went on our respective trips, but are SO happy to be back together after 2 weeks. That was weird. Especially for two people who are pretty much together all the time.

My venture to Oklahoma was outstanding. Linda and I laughed and cried and ate and shopped and bonded for 6 days. Who knew you could 'save' $300 at Kohl's?????? Or that Hobby Lobby owns another store called Mardell's? Or that it could rain AND be 63 degrees in December?

Here is our birthday cake. Dark rich chocolate cake with the most DIVINE frosting. And yes, we finished the whole thing during our visit. erp.............

One day we drove north to Guthrie, OK to shop. We happened upon a lovely tea room where we had a really sweet lunch and some raspberry zinger tea. The shopping was mostly antiques and a few really nice gift shops so we were two happy women! And how did those things we had as kids become ANTIQUES? That's just not right!!

One night we got to babysit her grandchildren. This photo was my attempt to take a picture of them for the family Christmas card. Yep, they are always squirming around and giggling! Such fun boys and another one on the way! And my most favorite thing was when we left I got BIG old hugs from them and they made me promise to come back! Well, that truly touched my heart!

I bet you're looking for a photo of Linda and I, right? Well, on my camera there wasn't one that I'd use....we apparently had eaten lemons prior to the photos because we looked not so good! I'm hoping that on her camera there are some keepers and I'll post some later on.

Photos aside, my time spent with my dearest friend was THE BEST time. I truly love Linda and am grateful that she is a part of my life. Everyday.

Coming Home

2011-12-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

That's me in the plane with the spikey hair waving goodbye to my friend Linda. I've been at her home for a week and tomorrow I fly back to Colorado. My husband is coming back tomorrow, too, so I'll be meeting him at the airport later in the day.

What a great week I've had, but what a BAD week for posting on my blog or answering emails or keeping up with Facebook. It's not that I don't have my computer with me (I'm typing on it now), but finding the time or inclination was tough this week with all we were doing.

I've taken lots of photos and have fun stories to share, to be prepared this weekend!

I'm baaaaacccccckkkkkkk............

VIGNETTE

2011-12-07T20:36:00.004-07:00

I love the name VIGNETTE. It's so tres French. One definition is:
v. t. To make, as an engraving or a photograph, with a border or edge insensibly fading away.

On that note, here are some photos of my recently decorated hutch:

Birds from the summer display are now ready for winter....complete with silver tinsel and glitter in a bottle!

You can never have too much glitter, can you?

Chirp!

Framed photo of a favorite holiday card sits near a stack of old books with a bird in a nest.

Chirp Chirp.

Vignette complete.

Holiday Banner

2011-12-04T08:06:00.004-07:00

I am participating in a 12 Days of Chirstmas project featured at Sugar Lump Studios where Nancy Maxwell-James is offering cute and quick projects for the season. These little beauties feature Paper Whimsy images, as well.

Since I have some time before I fly to my friends home in Oklahoma, it was the perfect opportunity to play along with Nancy.

I don't have a mantel, so the only place I could find to hang this was on my hutch....with the glass windows that the camera flash shows. But you get the idea.

Each banner was cut from mat board and covered in red/ivory/blue and green papers and images.

Here is the center banner (and yes, that's my hand reflecting in the glass).

A Merry Chirstmas is the greeting on the top and strips of music at the bottom. And little swirls of Stickles here and there.

Edges of the banner pieces were covered in glue and dipped (heavily) into Mica Chips. Ten I added some lace at the top along with crystal's in blue, green and red and I connected the three pieces with green silk ribbon.

This project (along with more) surely will had some festive touches to our homes this year. Nancy has added a new project this morning that is simply adorable!

Head on over and see what I'm talking about! There is bound to be something that you would like to make, too.

DECEMBER

2011-12-01T11:54:00.003-07:00

December has arrived here in Colorado....complete with snow and cold. NOW it finally seems like winter!

Being that it is the month of my birth, I know too much trivia connected with this 12th month of the year.

Such as:
     Narcissus or Holly are the typical flowers associated with December.
       Turquoise, Lapis lazuli, zircon, and topaz are the birthstones (I particularly love turquoise)
       The shortest day of sunlight occurs this month, but then it's all uphill from here!
       Christmas.
       People who share my birthday (3rd): Daryl Hannah, Andy Williams, Julianne Moore & Ozzy Osbourne (ech).
       Sagittarius and Capricorn are the heavenly symbols........me being a "Sag".

And SNOW. We've had a wonderful long autumn here, but now winter can come. Let the lakes freeze. Bring out the quilts and the flannel jammies. Bake up some cookies or soups. Pull on the boots and mittens and get outside to enjoy it all.

Happy December to all of you.

Strange times ahead

2011-11-30T11:44:00.005-07:00

My husband is a mountain climber. He does really scary things (for me, not him) and has for 34 yrs. And his dream is to do a BIG mountain expedition at least once in his life.

Well, that would be Saturday. He's leaving for Ecuador for 12 days where he'll see some people and culture and mountains.

Three BIG mountains to be precise. Two are over 20,000 ft. Like this one...........

I am happy for him and hope that this experience is the best time climbing that he's ever had. He's going with a professional guide who's done this tons of times and my husband is very good at what he does, so I know he will have the time of his life. AND I am looking forward to seeing him home safe and sound on the 15th.

ME? I'm going to hang out here for a few days and then head to Oklahoma City to see my friend Linda. Remember when we were there in August and it was HOT-ter than heck? Well, it's really nice now and I may even have to take a sweater or coat!!

There is the downtown area that we will visit and shop at. Isn't it pretty?

AND there will be alot of this! See, we share the same birth month (mine is the 3rd and her's is the 11th) so it seems perfect to celebrate our advancing years together! With cake and ice cream. And laughs and who-knows-what. It's going to be 6 days of GIRL STUFF.

I can't wait to hang with my girl...my soul sister....my friend. Not only will it be a fun trip, but it will take my mind off what my husband is doing! Scary for me....not for him.

TEXTURE

2011-11-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

tex·ture /ˈtɛkstʃər/ Show Spelled [teks-cher] noun

1. the visual and especially tactile quality of a surface: rough texture.

2. the characteristic structure of the interwoven or intertwined threads, strands, or the like, that make up a textile fabric: coarse texture.

3. the characteristic physical structure given to a material, an object, etc., by the size, shape, arrangement, and proportions of its parts: soil of a sandy texture; a cake with a heavy texture.

4. an essential or characteristic quality; essence.

5. Fine Arts .

a. the characteristic visual and tactile quality of the surface of a work of art resulting from the way in which the materials are used.

b. the imitation of the tactile quality of represented objects.

And here is an example of some TEXTURE from Alaska when we visited last year:

Most of these pictures were taken in the museum in Anchorage or at the airport, where there were SO many textures to treat the eye. Wooden baskets used to catch fish, old buildings, fur used in trade, metal hanging sculptures, handhewn pictorial art, and some beautiful glass work.

Going through some photos (again) I realized that quite a bit of the pictures I took during our trip to Alaska had to do with textures. A rustic place that is full of history but also has a modern side to it.....quite a contrast in many ways. Every place we visited offered an opportunity to photograph and study.

My attraction to texture has led me on the path through quilting to altered art and painting to fiber. It seems that what catches my eye and heart is tactile and colorful. Running my hands across fabrics, watching the light beam through rippled glass, or walking on rocks. It's all around me ~ just waiting to be appreciated.

Fashionista

2011-11-25T20:08:00.002-07:00

I was searching for something to post about after Thanksgiving and thought complaining about how much I ate and my lack of willpower wasn't very up-lifting! Really, I'm too way too old blame somebody else!

So, for something COMPLETELY different, how about some pictures of ME when I was little? I knew you'd say yes!

Age 4, in front of the peony bushes. Now, that dress was one of my favorites and who would blame me? It was red plaid AND my shoes were red, too. Oh, I was setting a trend and didn't know it! See those little pockets in the front of the dress? I would bet that I had some treasures inside them!! I loved collecting stuff!

That's me on the left ~ with a purse that would make Lady Gaga swoon! This was taken when I was about 3 at my grandparents house in Buffalo. That's my grandfather right behind my head....he was very patient, to say the least. My sister is next to me and my cousin Linda is the other babe! The clothes were no doubt my grandmother's or mothers and don't they fit nicely????? Note the bottle of 7-UP on the table? I cannot see that without thinking of my grandfather. He loved it.

My jammies and robe. I would bet big money that this was the beginning of my love affair with pj's! Aren't they comfy looking? And isn't the one leg UP and the other DOWN quite fashionable? The robe was checkered turquoise and black and there was an embroidered dog on the pocket.

Have you noticed how curly my hair was? My father passed that gene to me and those curls got me into the play in Kindergarten as Goldy Locks. A proud moment, indeed.

There you have it....a walk down fashionista memory lane.

And as my 62nd birthday approaches, I can proudly say that I still love my pj's, my hair is still somewhat curly, and plaid is still in fashion! Even though I'm not 4 anymore.

Turkey Day Highlights

2011-11-23T08:31:00.004-07:00

Ah, the sweet smell of turkey in the oven harkens back memories, doesn't it? We all seem to have a tradition of sorts on this holiday, which usually starts with the cooking aspect of the day (and going to the grocery store numerous times to get what you forgot the first 3 times):

Just when you think you have it ALL, well, you've spaced-out the most important treat:

You KNOW you've eaten this......we all have!

Whilst the food is in the oven, it's time to sit down and have some breakfast (to stretch your stomach out for what comes later) and watch the Macy's Day Parade!

I love a Moose on a string, don't YOU?

Or how about the most famous part of the parade.....the ROCKETTE'S.

I wanted SO bad to be one when I was growing up, but it was not meant to be....I'm a bit short. Drat!

By the time the dinner is cooked and ready to be served, the house is smelling WAY toooo tasty and it's hard not to snack on something! This is when we take a hike....literally. A nice brisk hike on the east side of town for an hour really helps in the feast that's about to happen!

I hope you ALL have a nice day, no matter who you are feasting with. And please know that I am ever-thankful for you, my blog friends. Each and every one of you.

Happy Thanksgiving Day

JOY

2011-11-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I completed a canvas art piece for a swap. It took at bit more time to let the paint and glitter dry, but finished it is! Here is JOY:

The process I used was to take a 5 x 7 canvas and paint it with Pink Lumiere paint. Then I layered an old sheet of music (overstamped with red and green) that I tore. On top of that I placed a piece of sage green cardstock with torn edges inked with red. Then I added this lovely girl (from Paper Whimsy) that I cut into an oval using decorative scissors. I wrapped some old lace and attached it to the bottom and then placed a paper pointsettia flower with ribbon in the center (thanks Terri). Letters spell our her name, a cut-out of greenery on the corner and a nice red earring.

JOY will be winging her way to my swap partner early next month....which is actually just around the corner!

Off to knit with the girls for the afternoon!

Silent Saturday & Sunday

2011-11-19T09:52:00.000-07:00

Have a great weekend. I'm going to two art shows today and hiking tomorrow. The weather's fine here ~ which is unusual for this time of year, so I'm taking advantage of it.

Whatever YOU are doing, I hope it's down right relaxing and fun.

OH, as a side-note: I just finished reading THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. I highly recommend it. It is NOT weird (Jo), but a really good page turner.

Peculiar Swap

2011-11-18T11:46:00.001-07:00

The 20 little swap pieces that I made for the book swap (Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children) are done. Here are a couple of pictures of some of them....they are all a bit different:

And here is a closeup of one:

Now that these are completed, I'm making some little Christmas swap pieces and my table is covered in glue and glitter. Oh, any my fingers and face, too!

Besides the wind blowing, there isn't too much to report from my little corner of the world right now. And I'm sure that you aren't really interested to know that I am deep watering my new tree right now since we've has no moisture in awhile. OR, that my bangs need cutting. OR, that I have a pot of Anasazi beans on the burner. Right? (smile inserted here)

Hope your day is going well and much more interesting!

Here birdie, birdie..........

2011-11-15T20:24:00.005-07:00

As you may remember, I bought a lovely birdbath awhile back to entice the little birdies to stick around my house this winter. It is really nice and I have added some river rocks in the bottom so it looks more 'puddle-like'. My sweet husband lashed an old tree branch to the deck so that there would be a nice perch.

To date.....not ONE bird has come to splash around or drink from it and I'm beginning to take it personally. It would be nice to see these guys come by the TWO bird FEEDERS I have added to the deck, too!

I have no idea who these are, but I would SO welcome them!

Oooooooh, these are so colorful and would be a treat for the eyes.

And these blue birds would be welcomed with open arms...the more the merrier, I say!

NOW, this is EXACTLY what I was hoping for!

But alas, I have not been discovered yet and I am hopeful that one day there will be a couple birds flying over who will see the 'spa' and the feeders and swoop down to partake.

Afterall, I've spent around $100 to tempt them! Wouldn't that just 'sing' to them?

Weekend Smile

2011-11-12T12:44:00.000-07:00

I'm passing on the love:

and I hope it made you smile, too.

Have a lovely weekend my friends.

FULL MOON

2011-11-10T20:52:00.001-07:00

Oh, the moon is so beautiful tonight. I watched it as it crept over the hillside on the east side of town this evening. And now (at 8:45pm), it is so bright outside that you can see the full mountain range and it's a gorgeous shade of blue. If my camera could capture it, I would have taken a photo (there will be a new camera coming from dear old Santa this year that will be worthy of such photos!).

Needless to say, I felt bad about not being able to capture the scene so I made a digital photo of a full moon and a magic carpet. Logical, right?

Now this would be a sight, wouldn't it?

There are different names for the moons throughout the year, did you know that? If you click HERE you can read all about them. Apparently right now we are experiencing a BEAVER moon. Who knew?

Go outside and look up in the sky tonight and gaze upon the moon. It's quite peaceful. And let me know if you see a magic carpet, ok?

BLUE

2011-11-07T21:01:00.008-07:00

Looking through some of my photos and art that I have on file, the color BLUE seemed to pop up often. Which surprises me because it's a color I thought I didn't like. But there it is....so who am I to argue (with myself)?

Here are some of the images I particularly liked:

An ATC made for a Paper Whimsy swap.

A summer Bluebird on the back deck. SO blue.....

An Aspen, golden leaves fallen, against a Colordo blue sky.

Leadville, Colorado. Cty Rd 4. Mt Massive in the background.

Monument for men killed in a snow slide against a blue sky of autumn.

Sweet angel monument for a sweet baby who died.

BLUE

Bleu, blewe, blae, azurite, cerulean, cobalt, prussian, indigo, lapis lazuli.

To name a few.

What color do you see most?

MURMURATION

2011-11-06T11:43:00.001-07:00

Please click on THIS VIDEO and prepare to be amazed.

This is my only post today but I think you'll like it.

SILENT SUNDAY

2011-11-05T17:44:00.000-06:00

Have a nice Sunday....whatever you are doing.

Book Group

2011-11-03T20:12:00.000-06:00

Paper Whimsy is a place were we make art. NOW, we are reading books as part of a book club AND making art. This is what we voted on to read first:

OH GOODIE! I was so excited about it since I had already read it and just know that I missed some details. This will give me the opportunity to really concentrate on the book more and think of what I want to feature in the art work we are going to make for a swap. When all is said and done, the girls participating will swap a 4" x 4" artwork that each one will make into a small book.

CHECK OUT this YouTube video of Miss Peregrine that I have linked HERE. It's wonderful.

Other than this book club, the only news is that we got a nice snow the other day and it's still hanging around. OH, and not ONE bird has shown up at my new birdbath spa. I'm so bummed...........

Me thinks that a nice hanging bird feeder is going to be my next purchase. That outta tempt them birdies!

Being observed

2011-11-01T20:04:00.002-06:00

When I was at the cemetery last week looking for photos of headstones, I 'felt' somebody watching me. Ok, I was in a cemetery, right? Not too strange to get that feeling? Right? Then I turned around and saw

this BIG buck looking at me (see....he's got me in his sights!). Okey dokey, I know deer. It's mating season in CO and if HE is in the cemetery, so are his "girls".

And then I REALLY looked around and saw about 50-ish Buck's and Doe's all over the place. They blended so well into the autumn landscape and are so quiet that I overlooked seeing them! Needless to say I gave them a wide berth. My photos were taken with eyes in the back of my head and not too far from the car (with the door open just in case).

Fortunately, there was no 'hanky-panky' going on then (whew)....just alot of staring at ME. It was time for me to leave.

Mr. Buck and his babes were on their own! Good luck everyone.

SILENT SUNDAY

2011-10-30T10:35:00.000-06:00

Two little boys who lived such short lives.

Their parents must have loved them dearly.

Angel

2011-10-27T20:56:00.000-06:00

My friend Gale, over at Paper Whimsy, went to a cemetery in KY recently and brought back wonderful images from her camera.

One in particular was an angel who seemed to be deep in thought. This is what I made (digitally):

The background is an old test from a book that I layered with 3 different filters and then placed the angel in the front ~ after I altered her a bit to make her more 'vintage'. The outside border is a "mirror" to reflect the image in the center.

I admit, I SHOULD have been cleaning out my digital files tonight, but somehow I got sidetracked. Now you know....sometimes my attention span is that of a gnat!

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful......"

2011-10-26T13:40:00.001-06:00

Remember yesterday's post about my new "spa" for the birds? How the sun was shining? How the weather was really warm?

Not so anymore:

Check out the SNOW we have already today....it's about 3" and counting! But the birdbath is warm and toasty for any little bird that wants to have a nice drink today! I am waiting to see them, but so far, they have been hiding in the trees! Can't say that I blame them, either!

I was so happy that it worked and now I am hoping that it's 'found' soon by the little dears.....because the old one is in the garage!

This is the other end of the deck....nice 'frosting' on the table top, huh? And YES, we have to tie down our chairs because the wind here in my little town can get up to gale force sometimes and those chairs have actually moved around. Not today, thankfully.

Snow is here for the next 24 hours, but it will be gone by tomorrow and the sun's supposed to be out all week. Colorado storms don't last too long ~ thankfully ~ so I never put away my flip flops until December!

For my friends East of here: get ready for some weather headed your way. I hope it's not snow!

Getting ready for winter

2011-10-25T09:39:00.001-06:00

Well, I thought I'd not have to address the subject of WINTER for awhile yet. But, it seems that there is a blizzard coming this way tonight and we're supposed to have snow tomorrow. Up to 4". Drat.......

Needless to say, the birdies are going to need a fresh supply of water to drink and bathe in as the temperature's drop. Amazon to the rescue. I bought a heated birdbath:

The OLD one in the garden freezes up every morning and is bound to crack. The NEW birdbath is super nice and super BIG. A full 20" across and 2" deep. And heated......call it a SPA for the birdies! My husband and I spent some time attaching it to the deck railing yesterday so the little ones could get used to it. The OLD birdbath is being emptied tonight and the NEW birdbath will be the only source of water all winter.

I must admit, I expected them to be all over this gem, but so far, they have avoided it. I know. It takes time for those birds to trust. My hope is that when the snow is here and it's cold, the lure of warm fresh water will be more than they can resist. Fingers crossed.

While I was thinking about getting ready for the colder months, it seemed that the birdhouses on the shed needed a fresh coat of paint. Think I could have picked brighter colors?

We refreshed the paint on the door (I love red) and had some left, so I used the same color (along with turquoise and gold) to paint the houses. The birds don't use these as their homes....purely decorative....but they make me smile. See that old bench by the door? I got that at a garage sale a couple of years ago for $5. Don't know what kind of wood it is, but it's holding up nicely in our Colorado weather!

I'm off to knit with some friends today and then stop at the local market to get some Anasazi Beans. They just got a shipment of them in and I want to try them.

Have a great day everyone. I'll be sure to post photos of the snowstorm and the birds enjoying their new bathing facility! Fingers crossed.

Creepy!

2011-10-24T09:25:00.000-06:00

One of the 127 photos that I took this weekend at the cemeteries was SO creepy, that I HAD to Photoshop it a bit more to make even MORE creepy:

The shadows from the lodgepole pines was just perfect that day. I just made the photo black & white, adjusted the shadows, and put a gauzy filter on the edges.

Click on it and it's yours! Use it in your art, make a card, or share it. But I'd love to see what you did!

Monday: grocery store and then a bike ride. It's too darn nice to stay inside today! There is snow expected on Wednesday, so we are going out while we have the chance!

Have a great day everyone!

Silent Sunday

2011-10-22T20:33:00.000-06:00

I "HEART" all of you, my blog friends.

Have a relaxing day!

My day....

2011-10-20T19:48:00.001-06:00

started off nicely with a phone call from a friend. What a nice treat to answer the phone and there she was....making me smile.

So, being in a great mood, I decided to get some things done that have been waiting for me to actually 'focus'. My first one on the list was to play around with my digital photo program and use some new filters that I found. Thus, here is Miss Petal in a 'vintage' mood:

Isn't she a cutie? She's a Paper Whimsy child that I love to use because her eyes are so intense.

Here she is in her first round, before the 'vintage' mood.

Anyhow, after I played around with digital, it was time to go outside and put away all those pots of plants that were STILL alive. I hated to do it, but there is a frost warning tonight and they would have been a bit frazzled tomorrow anyway.

Then I re-painted all the birdhouses on the shed. That took longer than expected and the sun went down, so I didn't get a photograph, so will try to remember tomorrow. I used some really bright colors this time around: turquoise, red, and gold.

Dinner was pretty good, too. Baked chicken, rice, and fresh baked acorn squash that I mashed with brown sugar and butter. Oh, and chocolate chip cookies with coffee for dessert.

I hope you had a nice day ~ whatever you did today. Sometimes you don't have to do "Mrs. Wonderful" stufff to have a good one. Just things that make you content.

Tomorrow, it's lunch with a couple of good friends. Seems like it's going to be another day of contentment.

Cemetery Finds

2011-10-16T20:10:00.003-06:00

For those of you who enjoy seeing interesting cemetery headstones, here are some that I found in Montrose.

A graceful lily in remembrance of a loved one.

The name says it all.........so young to die.

Sweet little David seems to have left his dog behind. This touched my heart.

These are just a sampling that I wanted to share with you.

Autumn at it's finest

2011-10-16T10:35:00.008-06:00

Our trip to the western part of Colorado couldn't have been more perfect. The weather was in the low 70's and the sky was clear and blue.

We stayed in MONTROSE at one of our favorite hotels. As you saw from the post last night, we spent every morning at The Coffee Trader drinking coffee and getting started! Montrose is a nice sized town and has Target (yep, shopped there) and some really nice antique stores.

On Friday, we headed to OURAY for the day. It's about 30 minutes south and a spectacular ride. The scrub oak were stunning in colors of rust and gold and the Aspens were just as pretty. As you head down the road and approach Ouray (called "Little Switzerland") this is what you see:

That is Mt Sneffels covered in snow from last weeks system that came through. Over 14,000', it's a bit more craggy than the mountains in my neighborhood.

The area is very agricultural and I was happy to see that the hay bales were still sitting in this pasture.

The farmer that lived there was out checking his mailbox and stopped to chat a minute. He was proud to show off his piece of property and admire the view he sees daily. Nice fellow.

I couldn't get enough of the landscape. My husband has climbed those mountains, too!

We did some shopping in Ouray and took a hike (where I left the camera in the car!). Here are a picture of one of the stores I thought had fun name:

This photo was from my favorite little shop called THE BLUE PEAR and I spent some quality time looking at everything inside. Now, let me say that the inside of the shop was as big as a long bathroom but FULL of fun things and had the nicest owner! I would have gone back but we ran out of time after our hike.

The other photos I took were mostly of cemetery headstones and I may post them. I'm not sure how many of you love them as much as I do, so I won't put too many on here! But a few were pretty interesting.

Off to buy food since there is nothing in the house right now except for the 10#'s of squash we bought in Montrose at the local farmers market.

Relaxing is FUN

2011-10-15T19:51:00.002-06:00

We just got back today from our mini-vacation. I'm spoiled. I haven't cooked or had to do dishes or even THINK about anything domestic since we left.

This is what we did each morning:

drinking coffees at The Coffee Trader in Montrose, CO. It's in an old Victorian house on the main street that is SO welcoming and has the most wonderful staff. Oh, and the coffee is outstanding.

I loved the view through the mirror on the wall ~ showing the old staircase to the second floor.

Check out the woodvine that is growing in the front yard! The owners have landscaped the outside of the coffee shop to perfection. Pumpkins, corn stalks, mums, and woodvine. It was so pretty.

I'll be posting some photos of the trip soon, but first I think a sleep in my own bed is in order. Nite nite.......

Hiking to the lake

2011-10-10T20:42:00.005-06:00

Today was THE (with a capitol THE) perfect day to take a hike to Cottonwood Lake ~ which is just to the west of my little town. We parked at the base of the road that leads to the lake and as Dave put on his pack of 30#'s (he's in training for a trip to Ecuador in December), I put on my little pack with water and camera. You know, the important things for a girl.........

The colors of the sky were outstandingly blue:

Isn't this Aspen wonderful? I loved how it stood out amongst the pine trees with it's white bark.

This Aspen tree was REALLY old..........very tall & thick and the bottom has developed a crusty look to it. Look at the old gnaw mark from a deer that grew with the tree! I think it looks like a Gnome!

At the 2-1/2 mile mark, we got to the lake and sat down at one of the picnic tables for a few minutes. As we unwrapped our crackers, here came the Blue Jay. They are amazing birds....the sound of a wrapper calls them for miles! We threw out some on the ground and he grabbed them and flew away. I was able to get ONE photo of him in the tree:

As we headed back to the car, we walked along the other side of the road where the stream was still running. We came across an old beaver dam at one point, too.

Just to prove I was actually on this hike, I made my husband take a photo of me next to one of those large sized Aspens:

Yep, it was cool outside ~ hence the long pants and fleece top. Notice the cute little pack around my waist? I think the temperature was in the 50's at the lake and in the mid-60's on the way down. Perfect-o.

We have been fortunate to have good weather this week, so we are going away on Wednesday for a few days. You know....the little vacation we missed out on recently? Ouray, Montrose, and Ridgeway ~ which are on the west part of the state. Some antiquing, hiking, and eating out everyday. Woo-hoo....no cooking for me for awhile! And spending time with my husband. Perfect-o.

Mystic Monday

2011-10-10T10:27:00.000-06:00

It was quiet last night, the clouds were dark and eerie, and the moon was peeking out...almost full.

It's that spooky time of year, so it called for another digital picture to share. It is my GIFT to you. Just click on it and have fun using it in your art.

And just in case you are wondering....NO, I am not going to continue naming the days of the week in spooky/eerie/creepy ways. You'd think I was off my rocker/weird/strange. Or, maybe you already do!

BOO!!!

Silent Sunday

2011-10-09T09:44:00.000-06:00

"One need not be a chamber to be haunted;
One need not be a house;
The brain has corridors surpassing
Material place."
Emily Dickinson

Garden Tags

2011-10-08T13:32:00.000-06:00

SOOO, it was cold and snowy today and I didn't want to go outside. Instead I finished the tags for the Garden Gothic Arch girls that I am swapping with:

All pink and GIRLIE! I used pretty much the same technique as the Gothic ones (that I posted this morning) except I used some staples and no glitter.

Ok, I won't post again today ~ mostly because I'm out of projects for the moment!!!

Thanks for coming by............

Gothic Tags

2011-10-08T10:40:00.000-06:00

I worked on these GOTHIC tags the other day.....spooky, huh?

I used Pan Pastels for the background (black, green, gold) and then over-stamped with a Stampin' Up Clock stamp in black. Then I tore up piece of old music and some mulberry paper in black so that I could set the digital image of that wonderful Paper Whimsy girl (surrounded by a skull and dead bug) on top.

The tag needed a bit more, so I got out the sewing machine and stitched here and there....trying to 'frame' the girls eyes...which are really intense! The last part was to add a ribbon with bats and ta-da.....finished.

These will be going out Monday with the Gothic Archs I made recently. BOO....I hope the girls like them!

SNOW....I won't post another photo, but suffice it to say that we woke up this morning to a snow storm and temperatures of 30 degrees. Not alot down here (about 1/2"), but it sure looked like winter! It's just about melted now and the cold system is exiting Colorado and the temperatures next week are ramping up again. Glad I didn't put away my flip flops!

a WHITE theme

2011-10-06T14:10:00.003-06:00

Since we are going to be here in town for awhile due to the weather, my 'job' today was to get some supplies (aka groceries) to last until next week. I stopped at the local farmers market called PLOUGHBOY'S ~ they have the most wonderful fresh produce....AND white pumpkins. This one came home with me and now is

sitting pretty on top of a galvanized bucket from Pottery Barn ~ surrounded by spanish moss and a lovely little Paper Whimsy house.

All resting upon an old Singer sewing cabinet at the front window. Please notice that the flowers on the front porch are STILL blooming even though it's 48 degrees outside right now!

A little wreath sits on top of the pumpkin (thanks to Terri)....and YES, I had to stand on a chair to get this shot. Tall I'm NOT!

Here is the OTHER part of the 'white' theme I have at my house today:

SNOW on top of Mt Columbia. This 14,000'+ mountain is just north of our town and when the rain clouds opened up, this is what was underneath. By the looks of it, there is at least a FOOT of snow in some areas with possibly more in others. I took this about 10 minutes ago and the clouds are now covering the mountains again. Tonight, the big part of this system arrives so I'm pretty much thinking that tomorrow will be quite a 'show of snow' way up high.
Makes me happy that we changed our plans this week....traveling on the high mountain passes will be a 'white knuckle' trip, for sure. Oh, another 'white' theme!

A slight delay in plans

2011-10-04T09:21:00.000-06:00

We WERE headed out today for a vacation. Mother Nature has other plans for Colorado.

The weather will NOT be as beautiful as this photo that I took recently. Snow's a comin' ~ along with rain and cold temperatures. So, we've made the decision to put off our little get-a-way for another week because we know that this won't last long. There were hikes involved in our plans along with leaf peeping, but you can't do that in icky weather. Or at least I can't!

So, I'll be back to posting and commenting for awhile.....and you thought you were done with me! haaaaaa

Today, though, I have to get some groceries (since we ate the 'fridge down to nothing) and make some chocolate chip cookies (since we ate the last batch). AND, catch up with your blogs. Sounds like a plan!

Gothic Arches

2011-09-30T09:01:00.004-06:00

My studio is has been a flurry of papers and glue and sparkle for over a week. Trying to get my commitment's done before we head out for a short vacation. But last night I finished the biggest project I had on my table and thought I'd post the photos of what I've been doing.

Paper Whimsy is having another swap (and you all know I love a good swap). Gothic Arches was the title (using an arch shaped base) and there were three themes: Garden, Gothic, and Poetry. Since I couldn't make up my mind, I did two themes ~ which is a total of 20 arches. Call me crazy...or call me Shirley!!

Here is the first one I finished ~ GARDEN ARCH'S. Nine of them for nine swap partners.

Then I made ten of these

GOTHIC ARCH'S for my partners. The nails on the right side are really old...square heads and handmade! They reminded me of horseshoe nails.

These all will go out in the mail when I get back from our trip and I'm really excited to see what my partners made!!! When I get them (by the end of Oct) I'll post them so you can see the variety that always astound's me. These are such talented girls!

Brrrrr.....it was 40 degrees outside this morning and there was frost on the roof tops. But amazingly enough, the bluebirds were taking a bath in the garden! They sure are hearty little souls.

Have a great weekend my friends.

September at 9,000'

2011-09-27T20:48:00.001-06:00

Took a quick drive up Cottonwood Pass ~ just west of town this morning to capture some fall colors.

Here's a couple of pictures:

Here is one of the stops I made to get a shot (I took 75 photos in 30 minutes). In the foreground are Mountain Mahgony bushes that are FULL of seed pods. I liked how they were grey in color ~ a nice contrast to the green of the pine trees, gold Aspens, and bluebird blue sky.

Just a moment down the road there is an avalanche chute where the Aspens are calling home and seem to tumble down the hillside. The sun had been behind a cloud and as I waited, it came out and glowed on the leaves. Stunning..........

More photos coming soon. We're in and out this week and leaving next week for the southwest of CO. We're giving the trees an extra week down there to pop with color!

Just a swingin'

2011-09-26T09:23:00.000-06:00

Ah, shades of fall are here in my little corner of the world. The Aspen trees are really changing fast with our cool nights and we've been taking advantage of that for a couple of weeks now.

Hiking alot, biking alot, and being outside as often as possible. Needless to say, my blogging is going to take a backseat for a little bit. In the next several weeks there are plans to go to the southwest part of CO for some outdoor fun. I'll have my camera in hand to share photos so you can see the beautiful areas we plan on hiking in.

So, if you don't see my regularly, that is what I'm up to. Like the little girl in the digital photo I made the other day, I hope to be swingin' into autumn....but hopefully there won't be any ghosts!

Goodby Summer

2011-09-21T20:10:00.002-06:00

I'll miss your bees and birds and flowers. Your warm days and balmy nights. Plants with their happy faces.

But I welcome autumn.
Cooler days. Chilly nights. Hikes and bike rides in the forest with the leaves turning all around my head.

"There is a harmony in autumn,
and a luster in it's sky,
which through summer is not heard or seen,
as if it could not be,
as if it had not been.
Percy Shelley

Autumn...HELLO. I'm glad to see you and hope you'll stay awhile.

In my mailbox......

2011-09-20T12:49:00.001-06:00

was a wonderful surprise from my friend TERRI. Apparently she has been putting lovely bits and such into an old lunch pail that she's had for awhile ~ with me in mind!

Here is a collage I did of SOME of the photos I took, but let me say that my kitchen table was covered for hours with the treasures she sent me. I couldn't put it away because it was all so beautiful. Also, it took me over 40 minutes to unwrap and photograph everything. Here's a sampling:

Inside were tissue papers, wallpaper from England, quilted pieces of fabric, some gorgeous gold & mahogany fabric (that I'll make into a pillow), tags that only Terri can make, bottles of glitters & ephemera (including a tiny leather purse), buttons, pins, laces, photos, and a DOMINO BOOK (see bottom center photo) made with shades of turquoise.

Eventually I had to clear the table so we could eat dinner, so now everything is in my studio where I can see it as soon as I enter. Now I must think of what I would make with some of those items! I'll be busy for ages and each one will remind me of my sweet friend Terri. Thank you dear!

BUNNY

2011-09-19T08:37:00.001-06:00

We have been in this house for 9+ years (a record) and can count on one hand the times we've see a Cottontail Rabbit in the area. Jack Rabbits now and then, but not many little Cottontails. We suspect the resident Fox has something to do with that.

BUT, that seems to have changed in the last few weeks because there is a CUTE little bunny that hops all over my backyard and my neighbor behind me. AND, this is the best part, it sleeps under my shed at night!
I have been trying to get a photo of him/her, but that hasn't worked out very well. It looks just like this photo that I found on flick.r today ~

Each morning we watch as it squirts out from under the shed, sits in the sun for a moment, and then scoots across the back to our neighbors house. HE has grass.....ah, McDonalds for Rabbits! It spends most of the day there and comes back in the evening to sleep in our yard. Awwww, how cute is THAT?

It's simple and sweet things like this that make me all warm and fuzzy. I hope the carrots I put out tonight are appreciated by the Bunny ~ cuz I appreciate it being here and feeling that it has a safe haven.

Where would we be without books?

2011-09-17T16:07:00.000-06:00

Every city should have a library. Every child should have books. Everybody should read.

My earliest memory is of going to the library in my hometown. The building was an old one with wooden stairs and two floors. Walking inside made me all warm and fuzzy and I loved the look and the smell of the entire place. Saturdays' were my favorite day!

I still frequent our library here in my town and go a couple of times a week. There is always something new and the girls who work there have become my friends over the years. And I still get a warm fuzzy feeling when I step inside.

Today is not a national holiday for the library.......but I wanted to pay tribute to them because I feel they are actually treasures. Free books that you can hold in your hands are a privilege that I am grateful for. I hope you are, too.

Land of Enchantment & Birthday Card

2011-09-16T13:35:00.001-06:00

It was just announced over at Retro Cafe Art Gallery, that Debrina Pratt is now offering her collage sheets at his quite lovely online shop. Oh, and what beauties they are! You can see them HERE ~ and I KNOW you'll just love them, too.

I've shopped with Kristin at Retro Cafe Art many times and love her products. Instead of listing them all, please click on the button on my right sidebar OR while you are shopping on the new collage sheet page, go over to the HOME page to see what else you can't live without.

You probably will love everything (as I do), so blame me when your credit card comes due! Or not.......

Here is a photo of a birthday card I made using one of the new images I purchased today. That teacup is just tooooo cute!

First Snow of the Season

2011-09-15T11:29:00.003-06:00

It's been raining for about 24 hours here and like every September, that can only mean one thing. The snow will be covering the mountain peaks. Yes, indeed.

So I headed out to take some photos this morning as the clouds were parting and giving me a peek at Mt Princeton with a nice bit of white on it:

Look how heavy the cloud are! Moving ever so slowly......

A better peek with some blue skies teasing above!

There it is....with a sub-peak to the right dusted as well.

Mt Princeton with her first winter coat on. It is always exciting to see.

Unfortunately, it will be gone in a day as fall still has plenty of time to dazzle us with the changing of leaves and warmer temperatures will return.

And this is what I made

2011-09-14T10:34:00.004-06:00

On Monday, I posted a photo of the surprise envelope of goodies that I got from AmyJo. And as I looked at them, it dawned on me what I wanted to make with some of the items. A Domino Booklet! And for the last two days, that is what I did and what fun it was. Tiny and tedious but worth the effort.

This is the front of the book...closed and tied with ribbons. The domino tile was altered with some images from AmyJo, a metal gear, rub-ons, and glitter.

The back has a Hooty Owl and a pumpkin from AmyJo and some rub-ons and stickers.

Seen from the side, you can peek at the accordion 'booklet' that is in the center...all tied up with polka dot ribbon!

When opened, you can see the backside of the booklet.

And this is the FRONT side.....BOO.

This little book is LITTLE. It measures 1-3/4" tall by 3/4" wide and about 9" in length when opened.

I'm hooked. Now I want to make a hundred of these. And if the truth be known, I have #2 cut out and waiting for my glue stick. There are so many ideas in my head that I woke up at 3am thinking of them.

Don't you just love a new project? It gets you all excited about doing something fresh and fun.

Inside my mailbox.....

2011-09-12T08:29:00.002-06:00

was a R.A.K. from my friend AmyJo here and I'm BEYOND thrilled:

Halloween goodies galore! And the envelope smelled like pumpkin spice. How sweet was this of her to send me all these wonderful bits?

There were papers and fabric, stickers of pumpkins and skeletons, spiders, and flowers! Tickets and little cards with images to die for (oh, that's SO spooky).

AmyJo also made a cute tag with a witch in a cauldron for me which is now residing in my living room.

Please go and visit her blog and see what fun art she makes. And tell her I said BOO!

THANK YOU AmyJo...you made my year.

Fall hike

2011-09-11T19:24:00.003-06:00

Perfect weather for a hike on Saturday,so we got into the car and drove about 25 minutes north of our town to Hwy 82. That is the road that goes over Independence Pass and winds up in Aspen....but only in good weather. In the winter, it's closed because it's REALLY scary then! Oh, and they don't plow it. You can visit the website HERE.

About 3/4 of the way up from OUR side, we stopped at a trail head we like. It heads back to a beautiful and scenic area that is enjoyed by hikers, climbers (La Plata Mtn), bikers, and hunters this time of the year ~ (we ski or snowshoe it in the winter). The Aspens were not changing yet, but the temperature was 54 degrees. PERFECT for a hike, right? I had on long pants, hiking boots, and a FLEECE! Heaven!

This mountain, peeking out at us, was full of iron ore. Thus the red color! And it leached into the stream that ran down near us so that the rocks were red.

These sweet blue flowers were hiding among the weeds. How did I find them? Well, I had to make a side trip to the nearest trees and lo and behold, there were the flowers staring back at me. Probably more than you wanted to know, huh? But a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!

The clouds were building to the west, we'd had our little snack, and it was time to head back to the car. We'll come back in a few weeks to see how the Aspens are changing. There are tons of them, so I'm pretty sure we'll see some spectacular colors.

Today, we spent waterproofing the deck. I think I liked the hike better!

Here Comes the Weekend!

2011-09-09T15:10:00.000-06:00

I hope you have a good one and do something fun! Or productive. Or relaxing.

See you Monday!

If it's Wednesday.....

2011-09-07T20:19:00.001-06:00

...then my hubby has the day off. And we're outta here!

We had a nice breakfast and then got into the car to drive to Summit County (CO) to do some errands. That is about an hour or so west of here. First on the list was Office Max for some Epson paper that was recommended to me by the owner of Paper Whimsy. Oh, and I got some ink for the printer and some pens. ooooooooo

Then to the outdoor store so hubby could look for some things. Of course, they were out. So it was off to Walgreens for hair color which was on sale. (ARE YOU WITH ME SO FAR?)

Onward to the Subaru dealership where they needed the car for an hour to update the computer thingy to improve my fuel output. Whatever. It was next to Target, so we walked over in the rain.

Target had most of what was on the list (except for the camisole and pajamas I wanted). We strolled around until we figured the car was done and then headed over. Done. Fine. We're hungry.

Wendy's is a 'treat' for us, since there are none in our area. Hubby had 2 little burgers and I had a grilled chicken sammie. Fries for both and a diet Coke. By then the rain was falling nicely so we figured it was time to head home.

Pretty exciting, huh? Well, at least we got to spend the day together, got the errands done, and talked most of the day. BUT, I was still craving something at 6:30pm and headed to the freezer. Now I feel better.

This is my FAVORITE flavor of Edy's (or Dreyer's here in CO). And it's 1/2 the calories than regular ice cream. Oh, who cares? When you want ice cream, you just go for it.

Tomorrow is going to be spent digging in flower beds and grocery shopping, but I will save you from the details. Suffice it to say that I'll be wearing off the French Silk.

First hint of autumn

2011-09-04T18:57:00.004-06:00

Yesterday my hubby and I took a hike to a place we truly enjoy. It's near the old mining town of St Elmo which is about 30+ minutes west of our home. St Elmo sits at 10,006' and is a mecca for tourists wanting to see the history of the town....and the chipmunks that feed right out of your hand!

The area was crawling with ATV's, so we hiked up the road just above the old town and took a left ~ where they couldn't go and it was peaceful. It was pretty rocky:

and steep! You can see a tree just showing off it's gold leaves on the left side of the trail...about 1/2 way up in the photo.

There was an old building on the trail that was RUSTY....sure wish I could have a piece of that to play with!

You could imagine that this old place was used as a shelter of some sort years ago.

Mother Nature is telling us that Fall is fast approaching and we were listening. The temperature was about 70 degrees and the further up we hiked, the cooler it got. We hiked up about 2.5 miles to a turning point and could see the town and old mining areas below us because we were at 11,000'. There were Aspen trees beginning to change color up there, too.

See that little gold leaf on the right side of the larger Aspen? Just touches of gold here and there, but a reminder that summer is over up there!

On the way back, stopping for a drink of water, I looked down and saw this:

A green Aspen leaf resting next to a gold one. I didn't 'stage' this....it's exactly as it was on the trail. Seems to me that Mother Nature wanted me to see this. Why else would we have stopped right there?

Our 5 mile hike was just wonderful, it was cool, the view was fantastic, and we escaped for a few hours from home. We plan on going back up there in a couple of weeks when the trees should be in full gold and will share the photos with you all. It's always spectacular! Crisp and beautiful.

I hope you had a great weekend. Ours is quickly over but the memories are forever.

A little calendar ~ for YOU!

2011-09-01T14:01:00.001-06:00

Can you believe it's September already? Me, either. The summer has flown by WAY too fast.

As our new month begins, I wanted to share with you a digital image that I made...just for you! Click on it and save it to your computer. And use it with my good wishes and thanks for coming by to see me!
Have a great month!

The Queen will see you now

2011-08-31T10:49:00.000-06:00

This is a wall hanging that I made as a thank you gift for Sherry B who was my SASSy girl. She sent me the envelope filled with goodies last week. We were to take some of what we rec'd and make an ATC (Artist Trading Card) to send back.

Well, I don't follow the rules well and wanted to make her something bigger so she could hang it in her studio. The substrate is a piece of mat board that I cut out in a fancy shape. I painted and stenciled on it and added a few stamped images. The QUEEN is an image that Sherry included (it's from Paper Whimsy) and I felt she needed to be front an center....like any good Queen!

Then I added a cut out from the envelope at the bottom that looks like lace but is sparkly. I edged it with Stickles in turquoise (very 'royal') and then proceeded to add sequins and laces and ribbons to the piece.

It measures 7" x 7" (or thereabout) and it is going into the mail today. It was such fun to make and a big Thank You to Sherry for spoiling me with such treasures.

Sunday Hike with a bonus

2011-08-28T15:05:00.003-06:00

Being such a nice day today, we thought we'd head up to just past Leadville, CO for a hike. The area we like to visit is called Tennessee Pass and sits almost on top of the Continental Divide. We ski or snowshoe the same trail in the winter, but the summer is just outstanding, too. This trail is also the Colorado Trail ~ which runs through our state from the far north to the south and follows the Divide. Thousands of people hike and backpack it throughout the summer and we've done parts of it over the years.

This area is about 2.5 miles back on the trail where you can overlook this basin. Small streams make little ponds, spruce trees stand tall and proud, and it looks like the perfect place for a moose to stroll through or bear to romp.

And as we turned around and looked at the path just beyond where we were hiking, this is what we saw...in fact, there were 3 such piles of bear skat. Although it was not fresh (don't ask how I know), we figured it was about time to head back to the car. No pistol in the pack. Lucky for us, we never encountered anything on the trail but a friendly black squirrel.

The rain finally came in as we got to the trail head parking lot. It was a sweet day spent with my sweetie. Doesn't get much better than that!

We shall be here again when the snow is falling, but how different it will look then! And the bear will be sleeping! shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Sneaky Peaky

2011-08-26T12:41:00.002-06:00

Remember awhile ago when I posted a photo of the SASSy envelope that I made? Of course you do!

Anyhow, I opened my mailbox yesterday and the envelope that was sent to me had arrived! Oh, joy. Oh, delight. Ohmygoodness!

This is the front of it.......and I cannot tell you just yet who sent it to me! So this sneaky-peaky will have to do until the entire group has their envelopes in hand and then we will have 'the big reveal'.

BUT, I couldn't resist letting you see what I got. I'm in love with it all, but here is another little bit:

Intriguing, isn't it? It was stuffed with goodies!

Just a tid-bit of the treasures inside!

Now, as we wait for the 'reveal', we are supposed to make an ATC to send as a Thank You. I'm kind of thinking that this girl needs 10 ATC's! Don't you??

Birdbath + Bluebirds = BATHTIME FUN

2011-08-23T20:42:00.006-06:00

As the sun was setting tonight I went out onto the back deck to enjoy the cool of the evening. As I did, I was treated to Mountain Bluebirds having a great time in the garden.

I was very still as they gathered around the large saucer of water that I keep on the old bench.

Looks like a swimming lesson is about to take place!

Hmmm, that looks refreshing!

INCOMING!

This female was NOT going to let anybody else into the pool...she is actually snarling at the other birds!

And as an extra added bonus, this male Bluebird landed on the deck railing....right in front of me and let me take his photo. Kismet.

My day was complete, thanks to these little ones. I shall miss them when they head out next month for parts south and warm temperatures, but perhaps they will fly back next Spring to say hello. I'll be waiting.

Art Journal

2011-08-21T09:50:00.003-06:00

This is the first page of an ART Journal that I am making. It's a project that has really sparked my creativity, that's for sure!

I'm taking an online class at ScarletLime called "She Had Three Hearts". It's a 3 week class with tons of videos on different techniques. AND, because I can't remember ALL of them, I thought that making a little journal of those ideas was a good reference tool. My theory is to watch the video, do a page, and write on it what I had done.

Another page using Pan Pastel paints and stamps and gesso to create layers. Pan Pastels are my new love...they come in little round plastic containers in a zillion colors. You can use them dry OR wet (this is wet), they blend wonderfully, and you can write on top of them.

Here is a "double". I used a magazine image and tore it into pieces to create flow through the two pages. Then I used Gesso as an overlay, then paint and stamps. Pan Pastels were used as an accent and the heart was cut out of handmade paper. I liked the 'stencil' that it made, so used that, too. The words are from the same magazine page...just moved around a bit.

Since the theme of the final Journal is hearts, it seemed appropriate to get out all my heart stamps for these pages. On these pages, I layered acrylic paints, stenciled with Pan Pastels and Gesso, stamped here and there, used some paint dabbers (those blue circles), and then used a corrugated cardboard heart as texture. The words are cut from a magazine.

Today I am working on the 2nd week of videos, so will post those pages when they are done. It takes awhile to do the pages, but it's interesting how much I didn't remember from the first viewing of the videos! I think this journal will be perfect to help remind me!

Hope your weekend is going well. It's about 75 degrees outside, the sun is shining, and there is no wind. A perfect summer day.

:

41 Years

2011-08-19T10:18:00.004-06:00

Forty-one years ago tomorrow, on August 20th, our daughter Shannon came into our lives. All 7lbs 14ozs of dark hair and sweetness.

She hardly ever cried and when she did, it was like a little sheep "baaaing". What a sweet baby she was! And teeny-tiny....so we nicknamed her Mouse! She smiled and talked to everyone and was just so content. How lucky we were, especially being such young parents.

Daddy was in the Air Force and our first assignment was in Georgia. Talk about HOT and HUMID! This outfit was one of Shannon's standards. Notice the plastic pants! No wonder she had diaper rash!! Her shoes had bells on them so I knew just where she was. And when Daddy came home from work ~ well, lets just say that I was quickly forgotten! She has always been his 'girl'.

We wound up in Colorado Springs in 1977 and fell in love with it. We moved into a wonderful neighborhood where there were alot of kids to play with (Debbie was Shannon's BFF). We built a brick deck off the back of the house so we could see Pikes Peak while on the swing (photo is circa 1981). Here is Shannon (and me with big hair) at the age of 11. Check out her cute legs! And that smile is ever present!

Graduating from High School in 1988, Shannon was stepping into her new life outside of our nest. She had moved to many different states, made new friends, got a horse, had some bad times that made her stronger and met her future husband.

We've watched her grow into a wonderful woman. She is confident, loving, and happy. She's a great Mom and a loving wife. She's an animal lover (2 horses and a dog ~ but she'd have more if she had her way). She has blossomed and we are so proud of the person she has become.

Happy 41st Birthday, Mouse. We love you.

Retail Therapy

2011-08-18T07:55:00.002-06:00

Target called my name yesterday and I listened. I popped into the car and headed north to shop.

The trip usually takes my a little over an hour, but due to re-paving, I was stopped twice for over 10 minutes each in a l-o-n-g line of traffic. What do you do in that situation? Well, you open all the windows and crank up the CD! A little TRAIN seemed to help pass the time nicely.

By the time I got to Target and rushed inside to use the 'facilities', I was ready to see what I could put into the cart. BUT, I was smarter this trip and started in the food aisles....which is where most of the $$ goes anyhow! Peanuts, coffee beans, Special~ K crackers (which are like PopChips but cheaper), kleenex, and room spray! Off to the pharmacy area for haircolor (you thought I was a natural redhead?), shampoos and conditioners, and soap. I apparently like to be clean.

Then it was onto the clothing side of the store. Walk up and down the aisles. Finding nothing. Oh, wait, there are a cute pair of black clogs in my size (6) on sale. Do I need them? Try them on. Cute. Into the cart.

Not wanting to get picked up for loitering in the store, I checked out and it was off to Eddie Bauer...coupon in hand.

The place was PACKED for a Wednesday, but that did NOT deter me! They had jeans on sale! And I will not pay full retail ~ which is very thrifty of me, I think!!! The nice lady who worked there knew her stuff and into the dressing room I went with 6 pair. Out I came with one that fit like a dream. THEN she tells me that there were tables of 1/2 off items that I could choose from if I got those jeans. All-rightey-then! A nice pink long-sleeved top will do it nicely! With the discounts and coupon, I spent less than the original price on the jeans.

A Starbucks iced coffee was next on the list and the Special-K crackers were on the seat next to me as I headed home. To 86 degree temps! Boy, I'm glad I missed most of the heat while I was gone.

Thus ended another exciting day at Casa Jan. Hubby was climbing so I didn't have to cook dinner, either, so that was a plus!

Hopefully today I'll get some art done OR I could run over to a friends and chat for awhile? Hmmmmmm???

PETAL

2011-08-16T09:05:00.002-06:00

Some of you remember that I participated in a Frock-in-a-Box swap at Paper Whimsy. Such fun!

One of our members was shorted her Frock, so I offered to make one for her so that she was not left out. And what fun I had doing it! I call it PETAL:

I used a box that contained Lemon Verbena soap for the 'closet'. This is what it looks like when opened.

Here is the front of the 'closet':

And here is a closer look at the FROCK:

It is made out of a paper napkin with the bodice being card stock that I painted and be-jeweled. The inside of the 'closet' is covered in stripped tissue paper and then I added some rub-ons and glitter. And that box is only 7" x 3-12/" in size so the teeny-tiny Frock could fit Thumbelina!

As the Frock is winging it's way to the recipient, I am awaiting my tree to be delivered. How's THAT for two different subjects in a post? Just keepin' you girls on your toes!

The tree is a Colorado Blue Spruce that our town is planting today in our front yard. We have a great program called Adopt-a-Tree. All you have to do is sign up for a FREE tree (of the town's choosing) and they will come out and plant it. For free. They budget enough money yearly for up to 20 trees and the applications go fast! As a past member of the local Tree Board, I am a huge advocate of planting more trees. Not only do they provide shade and homes for the birds, but they are visually beautiful.

Have a great day to all of you....and thank you for coming by to see what I'm up to. It warms my heart!

Shedding a little light on the subject

2011-08-15T08:40:00.000-06:00

At the wedding reception we attended recently ~ while waiting for the bride and groom to cut the cake ~ I happened to look up and saw the wonderful light -show going on the ceiling. Pretty impressive, huh?

It seems that my weekend came and went before I knew it. And I can say that I haven't accomplished a ton of things. Maybe that's what is supposed to happen, who knows.

Hubby was home and not climbing, so we hung out together....which hasn't happened much this summer. We went to breakfast one morning and then to the local celebration of Gold Rush Days. Mind you, there really wasn't alot of flavor of the late 1800's there, but there were alot of people selling either food on a stick or booths with items usually found at summer fares. Oh, and a guy selling a wind turbine. Very 1800's!

We rode our cruisers and then went up to the lake yesterday with a cup of coffee and watched the storm come in. And saw people running to their cars because they are from out of town and don't realize that rain in CO (especially at high elevations) is COLD!!!

I did manage to play around with the envelope I made and it will be hitting the postal service this morning. Boy, it's really heavy! AND, I am in the process of making another FROCK. One of our participants in the exchange was without one (long story) so she's getting one from moi. When finished, I'll photograph it. Blue and yellow is the theme.

At the moment, I am eating some really tasty Greek yoghurt with granola and some dates. BUT, I'm in my jammies and I'm thinking that counts for something!

We had rain yesterday. THAT was exciting. But today is looking like regular Monday stuff (no, Jo...I'm not cleaning). Errands, deadheading the flowers, filling the birdbath (I love the birdies), post office, wash the car, and the store. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!

Hoping your day is going well where ever you are. Happy Monday.

Decorating Envelopes

2011-08-11T09:01:00.002-06:00

Paper Whimsy is having a wonderful little swap this month. And I'm a sucker for a good swap, if you want to know! It's like having a birthday without adding years!

We are to decorate a 8 x 10 manila envelope anyway we'd like and then STUFF it with things from our art stash: papers, ribbons, photos, buttons, and whatever else we think our partner would like.

I'm only showing you little 'teasers' just in case my friends over at PW are looking in. The big reveal won't happen for awhile and I don't want to spoil the fun! I can tell you that I covered the envie with napkins and photos and stamps and paint and glitter. The postal system is going to LOVE me!

And it's REALLY purple!

We will be getting our swap partners soon and then we send it to them and they anxiously sit by their mailboxes awaiting it's arrival. After they have looked at the goodies, they are to make an ATC (2-1/2 x 3-1/2 card) using some of the items they rec'd and send it back to the partner who mailed the big envie..

Now you can see why I like this kind of swap! We get to share our stash and make something from our heart. Sounds like a win-win situation to me!

Wedding Bliss....and the surface of the sun

2011-08-08T12:32:00.005-06:00

After spending 5 days in OKC, I will NEVER complain about heat again.

It was, and I'm NOT kidding, like standing on the surface of the sun. Especially the day when we were in the car and the A/C went out. Now THAT was an experience....we two girls in the front trying to make it work by pressing buttons frantically and cursing under our breath with the two boys in the back seat holding onto the tuxedo in the plastic bag so it wouldn't wrinkle. We can laugh now.........

The reason for the trip was to see our dearest friends son, Nathan get married...

to his lovely bride Krystina. Aren't they cute???? We've known Nathan his entire life and we're so happy for them. A beginning of a new life together is always sweet.

The reception was on the 35th floor of the tallest building in downtown OKC. Quite a beautiful sight from way up there and the sunset (after a welcomed rain) was like frosting on the cake, so's to speak!

We haven't seen our friends (Linda and Paul) in awhile, so we went a few days early so we could catch up and to see their children and grandchildren, too. We've been friends for 33 years, watched each others children grow from babies into adulthood and have their own children, traveled in Europe together, laughed and cried, lost parents and pets, and STILL adore one another. It's been that way forever.

Here are Linda and I just before leaving for the wedding ~ all dressed up. I love her dearly and miss her already (there were many tears at the airport). We are definitely soul sisters who share one heart.

And here are Dave and I with more formal clothing on than we've worn in 8 yrs. But I think we 'cleaned up' nicely. He looks so handsome that I should make him wear that suit more often!!!

Here is one of the favorite shots of the trip. The four of us went to dinner and Nathan went with us, too. Dave and Nathan have always had a mutualy good time together ~ making each other laugh and screwing around.. They are pretty much two of a kind in the humor department. As we were leaving Red Lobster they were walking in front and joking around...the same height with the same walk:

The expression on those two faces pretty much describes them.....don't take it too seriously!

The days flew by too fast. We laughed tons, danced our way through the reception, shared memories, ate, did alot of sweating (112 degrees is HOT), and re-bonded.

So, back to normal here in CO... washing done, groceries shopped, plants watered, and catching up. But there is a place in my heart that is a little sad without Linda Lou nearby. Miss you, girl.

Getting to know you...

2011-08-01T08:36:00.000-06:00

...all over again.

There will be lots of laughter and getting re-acquainted soon....I can't wait. Some cool libations, some A/C, talking about the days at the Air Force Academy, chatting about the kids, watching one of them get married, eating food that probably isn't good for us, and just plain having a great time.

My time on the computer will be 'nil', but I will be back in no time. Carry on without moi. Think of me in the heat of Oklahoma (107 when we hit the turf). And be ready for some photos upon my return. Ta-ta for now.

HEAT and WEDDINGS and FRIENDS

2011-07-30T08:55:00.007-06:00

In a few days, we are flying out to OKC for a wedding. Our dearest friends SON is marrying a sweet girl and we're so happy for them. Did I mention it is HOT there?

The wedding couple have a whole new world at their feet, like we all did. Seen with young eyes of possibilities. And a sense of humor will always get you through, I think.

I know that humor is what connected my to my husband. Humor also played a big part in the relationship with the parents of the groom ~ whom we've known for 33 years. We have had tons of fun together over the years, and even though we don't live in the same state anymore, we can pick up where we left off at the drop of a hat. Laugh till you cry kind of friends. The best...........

The happy newlyweds have planned a nice evening wedding INSIDE where it's air conditioned. I think that is might nice of them!

And then the reception afterwards. I can't wait to party-down with my husband and friends. We sure did ALOT of that in our early days, but hey, we're NOT too old to cut a rug! (did I say that?) Ok, to disco. (do they still do that?) Or whatever the new dance is...we'll give it our best shot.

I heard the food is going to be wonderful, too. Nothing like bonding with people you don't know!

So, if you don't hear from me (I'm not taking the computer), please know that we are having a great time in the heat with our friends. Drinking a few cool libations and alot of ice cream.....gotta keep the core temperature down! Because, that's what friends are for! (wasn't that a great song?)

So You Think You Can Dance?

2011-07-28T21:08:00.001-06:00

Please watch as Melanie, a contestant on this wonderful program, dances with Neil (a professional). This was the July 27, 2011 performance that had the entire audience AND panel of judges on their feet.

She takes my breath away every time she performs....dancing with her soul. She makes me weep with her beauty and talent and is my pick to win the competition this year.

Why didn't I know about this when I was young? It SO speaks to my heart.

Filtered Flowers

2011-07-28T11:25:00.001-06:00

Here are some Mexican Hats and a few remaining Flax that are nestled by a broken crock in my garden. I used a filter to soften the image and give it a vintage feeling.

Black-eyed Susan's look so different with a focal zoom and a red filter, don't they?

Last night we had a HUGE rain/hail storm come through here. It POURED for about 20 minutes and I was so frightened that the flowers would be nuked! And the tomatoes. But, when it settled down, everything in the gardens was just dandy. Today, the bees are buzzing around like crazy, the birds have found alot of new things to eat, and I don't have to water!

Have a great day everybody.

Mexican Hats

2011-07-23T08:17:00.005-06:00

At the edge of the cement patio that is just off the deck, I have been maintaining a wildflower garden for about 6 yrs. Each year is a bit different from the previous year, though. Sometimes there is more pink and blue, sometimes (like this year) there is more orange and gold.

Mexican Hats (Ratibida) seem to grow like crazy in the hot sun. I have two wrought iron fence pieces edging the patio (one is black and one is white) and these flowers have intertwined themselves all around.

There are different types of Mexican Hats. Yellow and a Mahogony Red. Also known as Prairie Coneflower, this very prolific plant is easy to establish and naturalizes readily. It blooms ALOT....sometimes with hundreds of flowers.

In the late Fall, the tips of the plants are filled with seeds which are easy to gather. Just rub your fingers up the stem and they pop right off. Believe me, I will have TONS of seeds this year if you're interested! And the birdies seem to like them because in the Spring they are growing in the most unusual places!

Drought tolerant and easy to care for, these will always be a staple in my gardens.

DASHBOARD DEFAULT

2011-07-22T08:45:00.000-06:00

Blogger is at it again.....MY blog (and others I have heard from) is NOT showing up on the DASHBOARD or SIDEBAR. Thus, my 'peeps' don't know if I've posted unless they happen to come over just because they love me and want to know what exciting things are happening in my life. (smirking here)

This is SO frustrating (many !!!!!! marks inserted). I was wondering if I'd offended somebody or everybody was bored with my little blog (say it isn't so!). I've gone on Blogger Issues and complained, looked at my settings, and am at a loss. I've even turned off Playlist thinking that it may be interfering with all of this.

So....do I continue with Blogger or switch to something else? Or give this up completely because I've pulled out all the good hairs on my head (the grey ones) and my patience is running thin. OR, is Blogger doing all this stuff so we ALL quit and they can get on with some other project they are cooking up?
An evil plan, perhaps?

I think I'll hit the gym, turn up the IPod, sweat, and work off the aggravation. Or I could just go straight to the chocolate ice cream. Let me think.................

Summer Garden

2011-07-21T08:33:00.012-06:00

I hope you enjoy a little walk through my gardens.

Echinacea (Coneflower)

Yellow Lupine

Chocolate Chip (Ajuga)

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)

Gaillardia (Blanket Sunflower)

Summer is in full swing here at 8,000' and the plants seem to be thriving in the heat. When I went out this morning to take photos, the birdies were singing, the bees were buzzing, and it was 62 degrees.

Wouldn't it be nice to have that all day long? Sigh. But in the middle of February, when it's cold and windy, these pictures will bring back warm memories.

Book Report

2011-07-19T11:00:00.000-06:00

When I see a book at the library or bookstore, the title has got to be interesting to me or I won't pick it up. Yes, I DO judge a book by it's cover (although I have been fooled now and then).

This new book was a recent 'find' at the library and last night I opened it up to read while the rain fell outside (which was divine). At page 77 I had to put it down and go to bed! But it was hard to do, because I was laughing. And agreeing with ALOT of what Virginia had to say. Not everything, but her perspective is great!

NOW, there is a disclaimer attached to the book. If you are under the age of 60, you may not "get" the humor Virginia is dishing out. See, according to her, being 60 is something to celebrate! The 'springtime' of old age. And liberating.

The pressure to be 'young' is over. You can pretty much relax about those silly things you carried with you through life. Like maybe cycling across the country or bungee jumping. Here's a quote from Virginia:

"I can't really go along with those of my contemporaries who want to stay young. I don't want to be young anymore. It's so boring". "I like the fact that my love affair with life is settling into comfortable companionship. People who keep pretending to be young are just pathetic specimens, the sort of folk who despise face-lifts but are, by their actions, chasing a lost youth".

Chapters deal with issues such as: Memory, Ailments, Spare Time, Downsizing, Looks, and more. She thinks NAPS are a good thing! Staying up 'late' is too much work. Dealing with technology makes your eyes glaze over. Wrinkles are soft.

So, for a good laugh and a fun look into 'maturity', I'd highly suggest reading this book. And visit her website at: http://www.virginiaironsides.org/ for a chuckle. A good sense of humor is MUST for aging and she has it down to a science.

Gee, I wish I could have written book reports like this when I was in school. Ah, nuts!

House(s) of Whimsy

2011-07-18T15:26:00.002-06:00

Awhile ago, over at Paper Whimsy, we did a swap of HOUSES called "House-sicles". Today in the mail, I rec'd the final one from my partner in England. Here is the whole 'block':

And a closer look of the ones on the left:

And on the right:

The original concept was to insert a popsicle stick on the back of each house and put them into pots of houseplants.

I don't have any houseplants, so I am going to attach each of them with tiny little hinges. That way they can sit on the sofa table or the dresser or where ever I think they'll look at home!

Cute little things, aren't they? The project was fun, my partners did an excellent job, and I'm looking forward to another Paper Whimsy project.

Saturday Stuff

2011-07-16T17:46:00.001-06:00

I spent about 2 hours in Target today doing some retail therapy. Hubby is off climbing a mountain and it seemed like a good time for me to hit the road. Like my last trip to Target, it was mostly grocery stuff, toiletries, and paper products. BUT, I did pick up a cute pair of sandals and some new 'stylie' shorts for my hubby. He's such a 'fashion-ista'.

Here is a photo of some Geraniums on my front porch that I snapped a picture of last night while I was outside admiring the sunset. The old red chair that the pot is sitting on is from a local antique store.

For some reason, the last couple of nights have been a real SHOW of fire when the sun sets. I'm thinking tonight will be another such night, because there are some nice clouds outside right now. BUT, I think I've posted enough of these, so will spare you from the entire slide show!

Since hubby is gone, I'm not cooking....or eating anything good. Last night it was ice cream. Tonight may be a repeat. It's hot (for here) and it's just me. Tomorrow is another story. But I'm enjoying my little vacation from the kitchen.

As I'm writing this, Rick Steves is on PBS talking about Andora. Nice place...who knew.

Maybe I'll hop on the cruiser bike and take a spin before shoveling the ice cream in my mouth. What do you think?

Sunset

2011-07-14T21:10:00.000-06:00

We had a brief storm roll though tonight before the sun went down at 8:30pm. And then the SHOW began:

There was fire in the sky over Mt Columbia tonight. Sweet dreams!

Wednesday

2011-07-13T15:51:00.000-06:00

Yes, it is! All day long (as some people like to say). July 13th.

Are you guessing that there isn't anything too exciting happening around here? Just taking care of the flowers and tomatoes (which are FULL), doing my 'domestic' stuff, and generally loving that it's summer.

Hubby is off today from work, so we rode our cruiser bikes to the gym for a nice workout. We love the gym & the young couple that owns it. In fact, they built a brand-spankin' new one and it just re-opened last week. They are so proud and we just think the world of them to have gone through such a process so we could enjoy ourselves and get healthy.

We came back and had a nice breakfast. Off to do some errands. Had a nice cup of iced coffee.

THEN, I got the whacky idea to BAKE! It's 80 degrees outside! Once I made up my mind, I was knee deep in flour/sugar/eggs and spices. And PUMPKIN BREAD is in the oven at this very moment.

I made 2 loaves just like this! This picture isn't mine (it was on the recipe website) but since I'm posting this before they are baked, this will have to do. Of course, they'll be just as pretty!!

Tonight we're having baked turkey thighs, sweet potatoes, and some sort of veggie. Oh, and pumpkin bread for dessert. I'm pretty sure I'm hungry right now, so waiting 'til 6pm is going to be a challenge.

Days like today are sweet and comfy and homey. I've got my husband near, there is a wonderful smell coming from the kitchen, and the weather is grand. Moments like this are not to be taken for granted and I will put this into my 'secret place' in case one day I need it.

May YOUR day be a good one. Wherever you are. I'll be thinking of you and sending my best hugs.