Journal Play!

 

 Getting excited around here! Spring will soon officially arrive, our clocks move forward one hour this coming Sunday giving us longer daylight hours, and it is finally going to warm up this week😁 I can't wait to go out for walks again!! I can't walk in the cold because I have Reynaud's Syndrome which causes my fingers and toes to immediately get cold, numb and burn. 

 Been mostly playing in my journals though I'd better get moving on Easter cards if I plan on getting them out in time😉 And get this - my Mom called to tell me that today she got her Valentine's Day card from me!!! She lives only 2 miles from me and I mailed it early February!!!

For T Stands For Tuesday:

 My DIL and I went to the Easton Public Market place because we wanted to check out this plant based smoothie/sandwich/salad/smoothie bowls venue which had recently opened. Lots of options and all but the bottled cold pressed juices (in the case) are made on the spot and can be customized in any way. There is no indoor seating and it was a COLD and WINDY day so we went back to the apartment to enjoy our selections. 

 I almost forgot to take photos and only got  a pic of my almost finished Green Vida smoothie:) It was delicious- made with organic kale, Granny Smith apple, pineapple, avocado, lemon, mint, and filtered water. Kyra had the Replenish cold press juice along with the Aluna Bowl with a green base of spinach, spirulina. That was topped with fruit and granola. Really good! However, I found it all a bit pricey (as were the other vendors in the building). I'm sure I will be able to duplicate my drink using my Nutri-Bullet 👍

Edited In: As I went to get the link for T Stands For Tuesday I read Elizabeth's truly sad post about the passing of a fellow regular linking T Day friend Eileen. You can read of it on the T Stands For Tuesday link. My heart is heavy, it's hard holding back the tears and I need to gather my thoughts  so I will go on with my post as it was done before hearing this news. Next week I will post in her memory for T Stands For Tuesday 🙏

 I finished another spread in my Curvy Journal:

 I will join Art Journal Journey (A single flower) and Try It On Tuesday (Say it with flowers). I love these birds from the Dina Wakley Collage Collective book and just wish she offered full collage sheets of these sweet birdies. 

And here is yet another grid style page. It started like this:

  

I used Dina Wakley paints in Marine, Aloe, Mineral and Apricot. And here is the completed page:

  Dina Wakley curly fronds stencil/mask set, Be Willing stamp set, Gloss Sprays. Tim Holtz Paper Doll. Mark making doodles done with Posca pens. Grid paper is torn bits recycled from the inside of a business envelope. 

 Happy to join Paint Party Friday!

 That's it for me this post. Happy new week to all!

" If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly our whole life would change."  Buddha

March Is Here and Soon Spring!

 

 How's everything peeps? Any signs of spring in your parts? We had another week of up and down weather- from some wet snow, to two warm and sunny days which really helped melt away our huge piles of snow everywhere, to a full night and day of rain Sunday, and now March has begun- and so have the wind gusts today! The birds are singing like it's spring but the flowers and budding trees are a bit behind here this year.

 But no matter the weather I do love to grill and so I recently made tuna steaks for dinner:

 I also had a small dish of homemade horseradish sauce to top the tuna steaks but didn't have it on the table yet when I took the photo:) Cheers to the T Stands For Tuesday peeps! And again- my apologies to Karen M-I am not able to leave a comment on your Wordpress blog :(  but I do visit.

 Art Journal Journey has a new theme this month - A Single Flower - chosen by guest host Sheila,  the new challenge at the Simon Says Monday Challenge blog is "Art Journal",  and the new theme for Try It On Tuesday is "Say it with Flowers" so I literally just did these pages  in my Curvy Journal before typing this post:

 Below I will show the start of this handmade journal along with other completed pages. Denise Lush shared her curvy book on Instagram and if you click on her name you can find the template for it on her blog if you want to give it a go!

 I used a heavy grey cardstock for the pages and chose to stencil them all. I used mostly Dina Wakley stencils and a Dylusions stencil on two pages. I then doodled the edges of each page with a black Posca pen. For this spread I painted the wide curvy lines with black acrylic paint then wrote the words in with a white Posca pen. The strips were then lined with a pink and a black Posca pen to bring them out more. The girl and the flower is from Dina Wakley stamp sets. I used markers to color the girl and Dina Wakley Scribble sticks to paint the flower and leaves. I then used a fine tip black pen to add more scribbly lines to the stamped images and finished with the quote. Everybody has a soul story. Don't you agree?

 

 And here is the start of the book along with more completed pages. I chose not to bind the book until all the pages are complete. I'm not finishing them necessarily in order either😉:

                                                 The cover

                                         Inside cover and page

  The botanicals on the left were drawn on Dina Wakley Collage Collective paper using a black Posca pen. The face images on the right are Dina Wakley stamps as is the leaf.

  And another journal page in the Dina Wakley Black Media Journal:

  I'm also happy to join with Paint Party Friday- as long as the blog is continued. Our wonderful hosts of ten years EVA and Kristin last week posted that they may make the decision to end the party. I would really miss it but they have to do what they feel is right for them. I've met SO many fellow bloggers and creative artists through PPF 💓 

 Wishing you all a great week and weekend. I'll be around to visit but unfortunately some of your blogs won't allow me to leave comments (mostly the Wordpress blogs where there is no option for me to sign in with Google).

" Winds of March we welcome you, there is work for you to do. Work and play and blow all day, blow the winter away."      Unknown

   

Weathering The Storms

 

How is everyone? I missed doing a post for last week cuz hubby had some extra time off d/t snow storms, and the national holiday for Martin Luther King Day so we just took advantage of some extra time together. 

Oh, and we woke up this past Saturday at 4:30AM to find a water main break on our street!!  We were without water until late that night and are now on orders to thoroughly boil all water before using-ugh! Hubby actually took a day off today (Mon.) at the last minute because we were getting hit with some dangerous snow squalls and another heavy snowfall right when he should have been leaving for his 45 minute commute!

 

 I just took these a few min. ago even though they look identical to the snow photos I shared in my last two posts! It just keeps piling up. Enough already😠! I am trying to dismiss the winter by using lots of bright and bold colors in my art 😉

 We did  get to have Todd and Kyra over on the 14th for Todd's birthday dinner in between the storms:

    We got him a custom mug with a silly photo of he and Kyra and on the other side of it I had printed "Remember to always have fun together". He doesn't like ANY hot drinks so I filled the mug with his favorite Goldfish snack😀. We also got him a set of custom coasters with a photo collage of him, his groomsmen and father from the wedding day. That and one of his fave dinners- German meatballs over noodles, warm bread, salad, and a dark chocolate cake. I'd say we did good. Cheers to the T Stands For Tuesday gang!

Art Play: I actually have two pages of art yet to post here that are listed in a small notebook! Not always easy to keep up with what is posted here and what I post on Instagram or when. This page I'll share with Try It On Tuesday (theme is Oh So Cute) because I think this darling Dina Wakley birdie fits the bill:)

 

 Still enjoying starting  a page with a grid of a few colors and playing with more unusual color combinations. Here I used Dina Wakley paints in Sand, Ocean, Eggplant, and Evergreen.

Here is another temporary mandala I created playing with the fussy cut leaves I made from the Darkroom Door small stencil- Ferns:

 

 I used Dina Wakley Gloss Sprays through the stencils. These will be used on cards and journal pages.

 A simple collage done on a burlap page. I'm determined to finish the handful of pages left to complete this journal (so I can get a new one of course:):)

 And one last page for today. This one is for Art Journal Journey with the theme of "Heavy Metal", and the Simon Says Monday Challenge (Anything But a Card)::

 Lots of Dina Wakley products. I used metallic Gloss Sprays in Gilt and Medieval for the background. Other- Dina Wakley Collage Collective, Just Words Collage papers, Good Idea Stamp set, Mantras stencil. Kraft card stock, Versafine Onyx Black ink.

Also joining in at Paint Party Friday. Well that's all folks! Take care and have a wonderful week.

" Whether the weather be cold, or whether the weather be hot; whether the weather be fine, or the weather be not, we'll weather the weather whatever the weather, whether we like it or not."   Unknown

 

This and That

 

  Wow- Sunday will be Valentine's Day, and our son will be 33 years old! Where does the time go? IF we don't get completely snowed in again we plan on having him and our DIL over to celebrate. 

 In my last post I mentioned the snowstorm we were in the midst of. Well, before it ended it dumped  a whopping 27 inches on us!!!

                                            our back yard

 I could have cried. Hubby got another day off because so many roads and even parts of highways were impassable! And once people started shoveling out their cars they made masses of snow piles partly in the streets that resembled huge pyramids so there was hardly any parking(thankfully we have a parking pad in back for both our cars)!! It gets better.... the piles of snow were finally taken away- and proper plowing was done- just this past Saturday night-and only because we were getting MORE SNOW Sunday😖 We got another 3 1/2 inches by Sunday afternoon. Oh joy. And snow is expected again Tuesday, Thursday and perhaps this coming Sunday again! I don't think I'm living in Alaska, or am I???

 OK, so in the meantime I'm continuing to cook, bake, and play in my art room. First up my ticket to T Stands For Tuesday:

 I made the delicious Molasses Muffin recipe that came from our lovely hostess Elizabeth for the T parties. This is one of hubby's favorites! I put the batter in a 7" x 11" pan rather than muffin tins. I'm sure you can find the recipe Elizabeth shared on her blog:) Cheers!

 I've been playing around with grid style pages in my art journal lately. The grid idea was inspired by an IGTV video by Megan Whisner Quinlan who LOVES Dina Wakley products as much as I do😁. And it's great way to keep some white space on a page as well.

 Here is how my first grid started:

 and here is my completed page:

 And here is another- this one is meant for Art Journal Journey with the theme of "heavy metal":

Here's a detail pic I took to try and show the Dina Wakley metallic paint "Penny" that I used to do some mark making:

 I'll also join in at Paint Party Friday at the end of the week.

 Up next is a card meant for Try It On Tuesday (Falling in Love), and the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge (Love is in the Air):

  Products: Large white note card; turquoise, white card stock; wide satin ribbon (Michaels); felt heart (Martha Stewart); paper flower (Recollections); heart button (Dress It Up); Spellbinders Shapeabilities "Floral Doily Motifs" die; Spellbinders M-Bossabilities "Elite" Embossing Folder.

 Fingers crossed for me please that we don't get much more snow🙏 

                  Happy Valentine's Day my friends💖

"Our self-expression is meant to be a manifestation of the silence of our hearts."    Matthew Fox

Scatter Pink

 

 Hi peeps! How's the weather in your parts? Cuz it is NOT good here!! We are in the midst of a Nor'Easter snowstorm which began Sunday afternoon and as of my typing Monday afternoon it is showing no signs of stopping😞. There are snow emergencies for many of the local towns and thankfully hubby's work place closed (hopefully for tomorrow as well).

 As of noontime today(Monday):

 

 and as of 4PM:

                         15 inches and still coming down hard and steady!

   I checked (at 6PM) they updated the prediction total to up to 24 inches. It's VERY unusual for us to get hit like this with so much snow!! And now as of publishing my post (8:15PM) we are at 20 inches and no end to the heavy snowfall yet 😱!

 So we're keeping warm with coffee and a special batch of pancakes I made for breakfast:

 

 I tried a new pancake recipe - and it is a keeper! Butternut Squash Oat Pancakes. Recipe at bottom of this post. Very easy to put together and delicious. Notice the mug? It's the reason for two photos😉 I just got this one I had made at Collage.com. I wanted to see what their service and quality was like and I can say I highly recommend them! They offer coupons and great value discounts as well. Cheers to the T Stands For Tuesday gang!

 There is a new theme for this month over at Art Journal Journey with guest host Valerie who chose the theme "Heavy Metal". Here is a journal page for the theme:

 The "heavy metal" is the Medieval Gloss Spray (which is a metallic though it's difficult to tell in the photo) I used to make the lollipop flowers and spatters. That gorgeous neon pink paint is Reflex Rose by Amsterdam which I LOVE!

 For another splash of pink I made this tag for Tag Tuesday(use a photo), the Simon Says Monday Challenge Blog (Love and/or hearts), and Try it On Tuesday (Love is in the air):

 Products: tag, pink trim, paper flower (Recollections); vintage image (ARTchix Studio); Chit Chat stickers, Botanical Collage Tissue (Tim Holtz/Ranger); Stickles glitter glue-Stardust(Ranger); purple German scrap (Collage Stuff); tiny hearts Shape sprinkles (Doodlebug Design Inc. - Simon Says Stamp).

 Last post I shared some postcards I was making using my 5" x 7" Gelli Plate for the backgrounds for an Instagram challenge hosted by Darkroom Door Stamps. Here are a few more:

 Most images, all stencils from Darkroom Door. Gloss Sprays and Paints are Dina Wakley. It  was fun coming up with a creative way to use the stamps and I'm happy with the way the numbers and flower images look stamped and white embossed on black card stock!

 Linking with Paint Party Friday as well! Stay safe and well friends.

    "Anything is possible with sunshine and a little pink."         Lilly Pulitzer

                  Butternut Squash Oat Pancakes

1/2 cup (generous) butternut squash puree          4 eggs         1/2 cup oat flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon          1/2 tsp. baking soda     1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup  sugar       pinch of salt

 Whisk all ingredients until fully combined. heat coconut oil or butter in a large skillet. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. When done, serve with syrup.  Serves 2 -3.

Note: you can also use pumpkin puree in place of the squash. Both are available canned in select grocery stores. 

Last Week in January

 

 This month has flown by hasn't it? And that makes me happy as we inch our way towards the sunlight lasting longer, and Spring approaching! We have been quite lucky here thus far weather-wise, but after all, it is winter and so we are bracing for snow and ice 😔. Fingers crossed it won't be too bad or dangerous with a prediction of 5 inches. I'll be inside all day making a nice pot of Italian Wedding soup and playing in my art room of course.

 The cold weather seems to have hubby even more hungry so I've been baking a lot too. Last week it was applesauce muffins. This past weekend I made dark cherry scones and pumpkin squares (some of the pumpkin squares went to our new next door neighbor, to our son and daughter in law, and a few went into the freezer) and today I just pulled a blueberry muffin cake from the oven. The only bit I enjoyed myself was the cherry scones-with a cup of coffee of course and this is my entry for T Stands For Tuesday:

                                                           Cheers!

 This is my last entry for the theme of "Favorite Things" at Art Journal Journey  hosted by Erika:

 It started as a mop up page on a watercolor page in the  Dina Wakley Blue Media Journal. I stamped and cut out the leaf from her Be willing set, and face from her Sketched faces set. Just a bit of stitching, Dina Wakley Collage Collective, washi tape and some of her Collage tissue words were added. These are a few of my favorite things 😁

 One more Dina Wakley journal page:

 Dina Wakley stamps, stencils, Gloss Sprays, Words collage tissue, Collage Collective.

 And now something different! I mentioned in other posts that Darkroom Door Stamps has a moodboard challenge each month on Instagram and anyone that enters has a chance to win a stamp set and stencil of choice from the company. For January the moodboard was not about a color palette but about using the Gelli Plate to make prints. So I got out my 5" x 7" plate and made a handful of postcard backgrounds. Here are the first two completed cards (I'll share more as I finish them). I'm keeping them flat so that I can send them out as happy mail:)

 Obviously I was in a snarky mood😆. Gotta love those Tim Holtz stickers!

 Happy to join in at Paint Party Friday as well again! Stay safe and well.

"Expressive art work is less about changing people than about designing environments that arouse the healing and creative impulses latent in each of us."     Alan Briskin