Last Post For 2021

 

  Hi Peeps! As this will be my last post for this year I'm going to make it short and festive🎄 In my next post in the New Year I will share some of the lovely handmade cards I received over the holidays. 

 Getting right to T Stands For Tuesday:

 Happy to share these wonderful German spice cookies. A small tin of these were given to the employees in the shop where my hubby works. I'd really prefer NOT to have the sweet glaze on them (although the ones covered in dark chocolate are just fine 😉). But there is a nice balance to the sweetness with the spice and orange in the cookies. Yes, there is something in my mug but barely a few more sips of coffee. I should have gotten my refill before taking the photo 😁

Here is the bottom label of the tin:

 Cheers to the T gang, and many thanks to dear Bleubeard and Elizabeth for another fine year of hosting our gatherings 🍵😻!

 Once again on Instagram Leaca Young is hosting another Creative Six Day Challenge and has free video inspirations with a different guest artist for each prompt. You don't however need to be on IG. If you click on her link there should be a tab somewhere on her site that you can click on to find and sign up for her free challenges and videos. I watch them on my desktop, then post my projects on Instagram. I have chosen to do all my projects in the Dina Wakley Kraft Journal. 

 These are the prompts:

 Here is my page for day 1 "Song":

 The wreath is the Wonderful Leaf Stencil by Altenew. I used one green ink to stencil it on the page. I shifted the stencil a bit and stenciled again using a second color ink. I shifted the stencil one more time adding yet another color ink. I made my Christmas cards using this stencil this year too. Unfortunately I did not get cards out to Europe this year as I ran out of the required postage stamps after sending to my French family. (I'm going to replenish my overseas postage stamp supply after the holidays are over so I have them on hand). Music paper was glued to card stock. I drew and fussy cut the trees, inked the edges with Distress Vintage Photo ink. 

 Day 2 "Gifts":

 For this page I painted a variety of Dina Wakley paints on the page then stenciled over it using her Lattice stencil and Artists Loft Parchment paint. The girl is an image I painted and collaged on another journal page. I rendered it B & W in Photoshop, printed and fussy cut her out to use on this page.

 Day 3 "Grow":

 I loved the tutorial for making a cut pop up tree so I made one for my page:

I used a two sided patterned cardstock for this using one side for the background and the other side for the pop up tree. Here are a few different angles so you get a better idea:

 

 you use the gold thread to pop up the tree, and underneath it I added a gold heart sticker:

 I'll share the last 3 days pages in my next post once this challenge is over. Joining in at Paint Party Friday later this week.

 Thank you all, for all the kind comments and visits throughout this year. They are so appreciated🙏. Wishing you all a blessed holiday season however and whatever you celebrate, may the New Year 2022  bring our world to a better place, may you all be healthy and keep well, and may peace and love fill your hearts. XO, Linda

“This is my wish for you: peace of mind, prosperity through the year, happiness that multiplies, health for you and yours, fun around every corner, energy to chase your dreams, joy to fill your holidays!” 

            D.M. Dellinger

A Mix of This And That

 

 How's it going? Ready or not Christmas is next week! I am learning  more each year to be more relaxed about it all. Nothing gets accomplished when stressed, right? I'm taking a very light online class "December Pause" in which I get an email each day this month with various inspirations via links to poems, songs, art, etc. Liz Lamoreux's class is about taking some time each day to pause, to breathe, and to make a list each day in a journal. The list prompts vary and do give you time to reflect, and to focus . I love this. What are you doing to keep any stress levels down?

 First up, and for T Stands For Tuesday is this new salad recipe I made. I find such relaxation in cooking and baking!

 This farro salad is from chef JoAnne Weir . As soon as I saw it on IG I knew I had to make it. Both hubby and I absolutely loved this hearty, vegetarian salad!! Nutty, crunchy, sweet, and savory- what's not to love😋 The simple vinaigrette was made with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and sherry vinegar.

I chose to pair it with Kendall Jackson chardonnay. This pretty glass dish was my great grandmother's. Cheers!

 On to the art:

  Inspiration for this page came from a Nicole Watson 30 Minute Exercise You Tube video. I love her fun, messy art journal pages!

 And here's a page in the Dina Wakley kraft journal that was quick and easy :

 Dina Wakley paints, stencils, collage tissue sentiment.

 And now for a tag:

 I used an old decorative paper from my stash and cut a tag shape from it. I stamped the snowflake (old PSX rubber stamp) using white acrylic paint. The vintage photo was glued down and I added white spatters before finishing with masking tape bits, washi tape and large brad (Recollections), and Tim Holtz Chit Chat stickers. 

 This tag fits several blog challenges this week: the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge (Cold as Ice theme); Try  It On Tuesday Challenge (Snowflakes); and Tag Tuesday (Anything Christmas).Okay, for Tag Tuesday I may have pushed the envelope a bit but hey, what child doesn't want snow and a new sled for Christmas😉

Also happy to be back to Paint Party Friday this week! Have a wonderful week everyone. 🙋

 

   "Imagine that life is working in your favor even when it appears to be working against you."    Alan Cohen