It's Summer, and Anything Goes!

   Couldn't resist beginning with the title and this poster:) Is it cooling off yet where you are in the Northern hemisphere? We had a day or so of more tolerable weather but now the heat and humidity are back on! No wonder I just don't have my usual energy...

 Anyway, we had a most enjoyable music filled weekend including seeing "Anything Goes" at Muhlenberg College's theater on Saturday evening which is under a 10 mile drive to the next town. We had never seen anything here and I've always wanted to as they have such a great reputation for their shows as does DeSales University where we do frequent. This is a fabulous intimate theater and this show was FANTASTIC!! The acting, singing, and dancing was top notch, and well, it is Cole Porter music after all:)

 Then on Sunday we went downtown to again see Craig Thatcher and Nyke Van Wyk perform together:

 It was a FUN night as it always is with Craig (guitar) and Nyke's (violin) powerful playing!

For T stands for Tuesday I want to share the ATCs I made for the special celebration swap Bleubeard and Elizabeth hosted recently. I sent one to Erika, and I also made one for our wonderful T Stands for Tuesday host:

 I made paper tea bags from cardstock and glued on some actual recycled tea bag paper over top -although unfortunately it's not visible outside of the fact that it muted/aged the cardstock colors a bit.
Eileen has let me know that her ATC for me is in the mail and I will be sure to post it in my next post:)

 One last page for this month's theme (We're All/Going) at Art Journal Journey:

 Going to the beach! Background is a deli paper gelli plate print.

 Here are another set of index cards for the Index Card a Day Challenge as I have been posting them daily on Instagram. In my next post I'll share the last of them.

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 For all of July's I have used Tim Holtz Collage Papers in either Symphony or Typography for the backgrounds and have kept with a vintage theme. If you have any questions about anything else just ask in the comments or send me an email:) 

 I will join Moo Mania and More (music) with the cards that have the musical notes on them, and Paint Party Friday later in the week. After that I will be taking a little blogging break to enjoy more of summer. Be happy, and be well. 

"Sometimes taking a break from routine is the best therapy."    Amirtha Keerthi

A Special Celebration This Past Week!

 Hello Peeps! Anyone else practically melting from a nasty HOT,HUMID HEATWAVE the past few days??? Even I have my limits- when the air is so heavy you feel like you can't breathe, and the heat index gets to 116 F- I stay in! Thankfully it is almost over and will be much more pleasant the remainder of the week.

 Above is #43 of 61 for the Index Card a Day Challenge and there's a special reason I began the post with this one in particular...

 Our son Todd proposed to his girlfriend Kyra of almost 5 years while they were away with her family on a two week camping trip. He asked her to marry him during their visit to Banff Alberta Canada to Lake Louise- the most beautiful and photographed lake! Yes, he totally surprised her:) My hubby was SURE Todd was going to propose and I was just thinking "yeah, it could happen, maybe".  They told us just after they got home by showing us their photos of the trip- and when they got to this first pic Kyra put her ring on(she had it in her pocket cuz she knew I would notice it right away:)
 Of course we are OVER THE MOON with joy!! We always said she is the girl we didn't have and now it will be official! And yes, I cried like a baby.
 This past Sunday I had a celebration dinner for my Mom's birthday and Todd and Kyra's engagement, and of course, nothing but champagne to toast with would do:

 Cheers to the T Stands For Tuesday gang! (Not sure of this posting if my ATC mail was received so I will post that pic next week).

 This tag is meant for several challenges- the Simon Wednesday Challenge (make your own background), Tag Tuesday (circles), Moo Mania and More (summer holidays), and the Simon Monday Challenge (not a card):

The background was done by smooshing alcohol inks from a craft mat onto heavy cardstock. I then stamped circles over it using white gesso and bottle caps. Vintage image, word, and Gold German Seashell border are from ARTchix Studio. Other supplies: blue Posca pen; black gel pen; sand; found seashells; mica flakes; blue multi eyelash yarn. Thinking about my upcoming beach vacation:)

 And now here is another week's worth of index cards I've posted on Instagram for the challenge:

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#44/61 I made this one on July 14th in honor of Bastille Day

 Also joining Paint Party Friday. Have a super week!

" One learns first of all in beach living the art of shedding, how little one can get along with, not how much."     Anne Morrow Lindbergh

An Art Filled Post

 Hello Peeps! Hope the weather everywhere is getting better- not too hot, not too cold, not too much rain. Because it has been so very hot here I have been able to spend more time making art in my art room, and I've lots to share so....let's begin with this:

 This tag is meant for several challenges. The Simon Wednesday Challenge (add a number), the Simon Monday Challenge (animal magic), and Tag Tuesday (circles).

Products: manila tag (Ranger); patterned paper (Stampington); typewriter key number sticker (Sticko); Tim Holtz Paper Dolls, washi tape, and Small Talk Occasions Stickers; Archival Jet Black ink; Bokeh Dots clear stamp set (Ellen Hutson).

 For T stands For Tuesday hosted by Bleubeard and Elizabeth at Altered Book Lover I have this journal page:

 The tea setting was cut and pasted in my Dylusions Creative Dyary Journal and came from an old calendar. I found the quote online. Please do pop in and congratulate dear Elizabeth for 6 years now hosting T Day on her blog!! And if you have any kind of beverage to share whether it's part of a photo, art, poem, recipe, coffee mug, etc. etc. please do link up so we can visit each other. Thank you Elizabeth for being such a wonderful hostess all these years!!

 Of course I am continuing to diligently follow the Tour de France so I made this journal page also in the Creative Dyary Journal:

 I am joining Art Journal Journey hosted this month by Chris for the theme of "We're All / Going...". And here we are all going on an armchair cycling tour of France:)

 And, here is my first week of July index cards for the Index Card a Day Challenge (which runs June 1 - July 31). I chose for this whole month to go vintage, and use minimal color as an added challenge for me since I am not following the daily prompts. The vintage part is quite easy as I love vintage and have amassed LOTS of vintage ephemera over the years. The hard part is going minimal with color!

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 Joining Paint Party Friday also. Have a super week everyone!

"There is no such thing as creative and non-creative people, only people who use their creativity and people who don't."     Brené Brown

Touring France...

 via armchair travel with the Tour de France that is!! Unlike Chris and her hubby who really are touring France again, and I must admit to being a bit envious:) And for those of you who don't know, I am a bit obsessed with following the race each day and following the routes in my France Atlas too. Been doing it for some years now. And this year I decided to take a "selfie TDF sock" photo for Instagram for a chance to win 100 English pounds. The Tour Race guide book has been including a pair of socks the last few years but I've only been on IG a year now and that's the only way to enter.

 With that said, along with summer and being outdoors I am not getting as much art done and that's OK. I'll make up for it when the weather turns cold...

 For T Stands for Tuesday my hubby gave a special pose just for all you peeps there:

 This was at the Merion Inn in Cape May. Our waitress (a favorite, charming lady we ask for all the time) surprised Bill with a chocolate ganache cake for dessert - on the house! of course it was divine as I did have a taste before he devoured it:):)

 And these are the remainder of my first 30 days of ICADS (Index card a Day Challenge art on IG) and then all of them together:

 They were all made starting with Gelli Plate printed deli paper backgrounds.  For July I have been doing something different and I'll share the first of those in my next post.

Edit:   Since I have had a few questions about the quotes... most of them I've used- and all  the "snarky" ones on my ICADS or on journal pages are Tim Holtz Stickers, but I will also find quotes to use on the computer or in one of my handful of quote books and print them out to use:)

 And finally I will share a journal page I did a little while ago:

 The roses are on a transparency paper. I added bits of lace paper around it, and it is white as in the detail photo. For some reason it took on a yellow tone in the full page.

 Joining Paint Party Friday later this week.

Thanks for dropping by, and don't forget- next week Bleubeard and Elizabeth of Altered Book Lover will be celebrating 6 years of T Stands For Tuesday! It would be so fun to have you join in!

" Find the sweetness in your own heart, then you may find sweetness in every heart."  Rumi

Happy July!

           a happy Canada Day today (Monday) to our lovely northern neighbors!

  Here we have had a hot, humid heatwave that continues with some intermittent storms but it doesn't bother me one bit. I wait TOO long for summer and all it brings.  Like the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival held in summer at DeSales University, a lovely private school nearby and the one our son graduated from. We have been on occasion going to see plays and shows at DeSales for many years- even before I was married 36 years ago!

 This past Saturday night we went to see 'Crazy For You'.

This is a photo collage showing many of the past actors and actresses. It hangs on the brick wall before entering the LaBuda Center. While waiting to enter the theater we were entertained by these sweet young musicians who played Middle Age and Baroque music- it was delightful!:

 This show was SPECTACULAR!!! Everyone was amazing - the dancing- lots of tap dancing, and singing, and acting was top notch! Honestly it was like seeing the show on Broadway but without the cost. This was so uplifting, musical, and funny too and ran for almost 3 hours. I can't gush about it enough, and if it hadn't been the second to last show we would most likely have gone to see it a second time:):) It was THAT good, and as I love old movies and musicals this was right up my alley- and hubby's too. I've shared just the write ups because cameras were forbidden.

 For T Stands for Tuesday which will be celebrating 6 years very soon I'll share another photo from a Cape May dinner:

This was at Oyster Bay Restaurant - another place we like to frequent. And here we like to sit at the bar to eat- and usually share several appetizers as our meal. Crab costini, waffle fries, and fried tomatoes with crabmeat and remoulade here are our favorites. Yes, calorie laden, but we so rarely eat like this and are careful to work it off. I enjoyed a lovely cabernet with it. Cheers!

 I will share this card with the Wednesday Simon Says Challenge (Anything Goes):

 Products: white notecard (Recollections). Inks: Versafine Onyx Black ink; Colorbox Chalk ink- Gray Whale; Archival Leaf Green ink; Distress inks- Worn Lipstick, Festive Berries, Fired Brick, Mowed Lawn; Staz-On Forest Green ink. Stamps: sentiment- Papertrey Ink; Altenew Camelia Build a Flower stamp and die set; Stone Wall Cover a Card background stamp - Impression Obsession; Moonshine Sequins-Simon Says Stamp.

 Here is another week of index cards I made for the ICAD (Index Card a Day) Challenge which runs through the 31st of July:

 I'm going to share the above one with Try It On Tuesday for the theme of "Material Girl" cuz she sure does look like one doesn't she?

   and for the new challenge this month at Art Journal Journey (guest host is Chris) with the theme of "we're all/going":

  I am focusing on the word "going" because I am going with neutral, more monochromatic tones and vintage imagery here, and for the 31 index cards for July. And yes, it will be a challenge for me as I love lots of bright colors so much!

 Linking to Paint Party Friday too.

 Wishing everyone in the US a very Happy Independence Day July 4th!

"May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right."     Peter Marshall