T is For Taking It Easy

 and that is precisely what hubby and I did over our long holiday weekend. Sometimes it's really nice to just chill don't ya think?

 

 

 Another Carolina wren update: this was the last shot I got on Friday afternoon. By Saturday afternoon-at just over a week old!- they were gone. I never got to see it. My neighbor said she heard a lot of commotion from them very early AM to find they were finding their way around in her yard. Have not seen nor heard them since. But, look what was in that "empty" nest when I looked to water the plant:

definitely a wren egg! I have not seen any action at the nest so I will look into it tomorrow...

for my T Stands For Tuesday gang. A veggie quesadilla I had for lunch recently at a local restaurant and it was fabulous! Speaking of, I made this over the weekend:

                                   Bean and Corn Salad  (recipe at end of post)

A great vegetarian salad with protein and crunch and sweet and sour-yum.

 For the Simon Monday challenge (theme is "Stamp It") and the Simon Wednesday challenge (theme is "anything goes") I have this card and matching envie:

Products: stamps- frame stamp on envie (Art Gone Wild), Fuschia (PSX), sentiment (Our Daily Bread Designs), bubbles (Magenta). Distress inks- Worn Lipstick, Shaded Lilac, Peeled Paint; Versafine Onyx Black ink; white gel pen.

 For Moo Mania and More (theme is Nature's Beauty), and also Paint Party Friday :

a journal page created around the beautiful and unique postcard my dear friend Patty sent recently. It's a copy of an original sailor's valentine. The background is a painted deli paper. I added the words around the postcard digitally. Thank you Patty!

 And for the theme of "Back To School" at Art Journal Journey hosted this month by the multi talented Elizabeth I have this page:

  I pasted a Stampington and Co. paper to the page after sponging the edges . The image is from Paper Whimsy. I added a bit more color and the star doodle and word, then added the printed quote which was also sponged with inks. Reading was always one of my very favorite subjects and pastimes ever since I can remember.
 What was your favorite subject? Or did you like school or not?

 I'll be around to visit throughout the week. Have a super week and weekend ahead!

           " Never stop learning because life never stops teaching. " 


                                        Bean and Corn Salad

scant 1/4  c. sugar     1/4 c. apple cider vinegar     1 1/4 c. frozen corn, thawed

1/4 c. veg. oil        1 c. each of diced celery and onion        salt to taste

1 can black eyed peas, drained, rinsed          1 can black beans, drained, rinsed

 Combine sugar and vinegar in lg microwave safe bowl. Heat in microwave about 1 min. til sugar is dissolved. Add corn and oil and stir to combine. Add celery, onions and beans; toss to combine. Season with salt if desired.

Art And Nature's Beauty

 Exciting news my friends!!! The eggs have hatched and we now have three baby Carolina Wrens! You can see the photos of the nest and eggs in the post prior to this one just below. I have been dying to hear them and see them and was very careful not to disturb them. I  only took pics (without moving anything) when momma bird was away gathering food.

 A bit hard to see-but they are all three sleeping after feeding time. They are just precious.

 For the Simon Monday Challenge "It's A Stitch Up" - a special card for a special friend:

And this week for T Stands For Tuesday I have refrained from showing food (aren't you glad?).
This is another doodle page I created in my journal just for doodling:

 and after being colored in:

  Sometimes I draw everything freehand and sometimes I use a template from my stash. The teapot and saucer are a template I traced for the outline.

 For Art Journal Journey ( theme of Nature's Wonders) I have one final entry before this month ends. Thanks to Gill for a super theme and so many fabulous entries by everyone!  I am also linking to Moo Mania and More (theme is Nature's Beauty), and Paint Party Friday.

 The upper left is a stencil (Crafters Workshop) through which stencil paste was applied. I added color using Pan Pastels. The sky was also done using Pan Pastels. The feather image is a newer purchase from Magenta.
My love of Magenta's stamps has never waned since I first discovered them years ago:) Isn't this feather just fabulous?? I drew the strings then stamped the feather three times. I then stamped the feather three times on separate card stock, colored them in with markers, and added some more doodles and glitter before putting them on the page with foam tape. I also doodled around the stencil and added glitter.

                                                                    detail shot

Finally, just for fun I played with the page in photoshop:

 Thanks so much for taking the time to leave some love - I so appreciate it! See you soon!

       " Only an open heart will catch a dream".          Native American proverb.

It's All About The Birds

 

 Hi all! Finally getting back into the groove of everyday routines and blogging after a fabulous beach vacation ( photos in my last post if you care to look). It was nice to take a break from the PC but I have missed you all.

 Before we left I checked in on a nest a Carolina Wren was building  in one of my hanging baskets on the front porch:

 One day I found one egg, the next day two eggs, and the day we left there were three eggs! i didn't get a pic of the three eggs because this time I disturbed momma much too her distress so I refrained from taking down the basket to peek in and water it. As of today she is still sitting and there are no sounds yet...

 We are lucky to have several pairs of hummingbirds which are constantly visiting the two feeders out back. They are definitely a totem of mine.

  One of our friends gave "the girls" coloring books with pencils and crayons. My book is titled "Calm" and the above is one of 4 cards I made for our beach friends after coloring it in the book , copying, resizing and printing it on photo paper. I added glitter and the thank you. On the left is the envelope I stamped.

And this is a journal page I created while thinking about nature and the beauty of birds:

 Background done with stencils, spray inks and acrylic paints. The bird is a Dina Wakley stamp (as is the sentiment). I fussy cut and added the bird to the card stock square after painting the background, bird, and branch. The leaves are fabric.

 Joining in with Art Journal Journey (theme is Nature's Wonders); Moo Mania and More (theme is Nature's Beauty); and of course - Paint Party Friday!

 Will be around to catch up with everyone the next few days. Enjoy!

" A bird sitting in a tree is not afraid of the branch breaking because its trust is not in the branch, but in its wings."          Anon

Back from The Beach and Back To Blogging!

 A big hello to everyone-I have missed you! Spent a fabulous time with friends at the beach in Fenwick Island, Delaware. It was HOT (feel like temps up to 105 F some days!) and sunny but actually very nice by the water so long as you wore sandals or something on your feet walking over that unbearably hot sand! Some pics of our time together; art to follow:)

                               We ate healthy, and not so healthy a bit...

  We took turns cooking a variety of dinners each night and this is just a sampling-lemon almond chicken, guacamole salad and orzo rice on the left; shrimp stir fry on the right along with a cabbage salad and rice.
 And of course it wouldn't be beach week without our lobster dinner and champagne:

 Such a blessing to have this special time and so much fun with our beautiful friends!

 Just before we left for vacation this fantastic envelope arrived from Lisca in Spain:

                                   I love the stamps she used on her envelope!

 and inside was a beautiful postcard, a bit of ephemera and a tribal looking woman ATC which I love (her dress is fabric). Thanks so much Lisca!

 I did create SOME art while on vacation. I took a new art journal with me along with markers to start a doodle journal.  Here is one:

and all colored in using markers and white gel pen. The splattered background is watercolor. I'll share more of my pages in future posts. I'm using a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" Canson Bristol Board spiral journal because the heavy, smooth pages are great for all the markers and hardly bleed thru the other side.

 Joining in with Elizabeth and friends for T Stands For Tuesday and Art Journal Journey for the theme this month-Nature's Wonders hosted by Gill (Gibby Frogett) .

 So looking forward to catching up with everyone again!

         "Contemplation is the root of awareness and creativity."   Sandra Chantry

This Week's Mélange

 Hey peeps! Hope all is well with everyone. This post is a true mélange (mix) of things as it is my last until I return from our beach vacation. ( I don't like to schedule posts in advance).

 First up is a card I made to help the Simon Monday Challenge Blog celebrate their 6th anniversary this week:

 Happy anniversary and thanks for all the wonderful challenges and prizes each week along with all the fabulous DT inspiration!!

 For my T Stands For Tuesday gals: LuAnn and I recently had lunch again at McCarthy's Red Stag Pub!

 LuAnn had her usual turkey melt and I had the dish in the foreground- Chicken Leitrim Boxty-so yummy!
 Of course we went thru the shoppe afterwards and look what we found new:

 Aren't these fabulous tea towels?? LuAnn bought the two along with the hanging frames to put in her kitchen in their new home in the Adirondacks.

 And for Try It On Tuesday (new theme is use your leftovers) along with  Paint Party Friday later this week:

 A  9" x 12" journal page reflecting my thoughts of Annie. The background was a page in which I mopped up leftover paint and stencils. The blue stenciled areas and the black wheat stencil was added over it along with the words.

 Not sure whether or not I'll take art supplies on our beach trip but I do have this to keep me occupied:

 lots of varied things to read!

 I will have computer and email access but don't plan on using it much so I'll be around the remainder of this week to see what you've been up to and will catch up on the rest once I'm back. Be well!

"Sustainability is an inside job, a learning journey to live lightly, joyfully, peacefully, meaningfully."
                                                                                            Kathia Laszlo