A Hodge-Podge Post

 Hi all! Hope everyone is well and safe.My thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by hurricane Irma. I want to mention that my hubby's employer is doing their part to help. Any donations made to the Red Cross coming out of employees paychecks is going to be by the matched by the company to the penny. Every bit is going to help all those affected by the recent hurricanes. We should also pause to remember the horrific terrorist attacks on this day in 2001 and pray for the many lost lives and affected people.

 On to the art:

  This is a palette knife painting I did in my calendar journal using acrylic paints.
A few detail shots:

  I also decided to make a few photo prints and turn it into cards:

 
 I sent them out as thank yous to my beach friends. Sorry about the bad photo. And speaking of the beach, here's one last photo from our August vacay:

 I could easily live with this view every morning for the rest of my life:) Sharing my coffee with T Stands For Tuesday. Oh and hey T gang look what I recently made:

 I tried canning for the first time! Thanks to one of our beach friends who shared an easy recipe for 24 hr. refrigerator pickles :)

I have a tag for Tag Tuesday (theme is Paris):

 
 The Simon Says blogs are continuing to celebrate STAMPtember so I have two more cards to share:

 and matching envelopes:

 Products: large white note cards and envelopes; Neenah 110 lb. Solar White cardstock; Simon Says Assorted Moonshine sequins; Altenew Build a Flower Camelia stamp and die set. Spellbinders Grand Calibur die cut machine. Foam adhesive.

Blue camelia card: Inks: Staz-On Azure, Distress Salty Ocean, Peacock Feathers, Mowed Lawn; PSX Indigo. Archival Leaf Green, Ranger Seashells- Sandal. Ribbon-Michaels. Sentiment-Hero Arts.

Purple camelia card: Altenew Painted greetings stamp. Patterned paper. Inks: Brilliance Pearlescent Purple, Distress inks- Shaded Lilac, Dusty Concord, Mowed Lawn; Versafine Onyx Black; Staz-On Forest Green; Archival Leaf Green. Linking with the Simon Wednesday Challenge (Stamp It).

 I am also joining in at Art Journal Journey for the theme of "Colour in My World" hosted this month by the lovely Yvonne of Meggy's Way, and Paint Party Friday.

 Have a super week everyone!

" I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted, and behold, service was  joy."              Tagore

September Days

 Welcome September! Yes, the days are getting shorter, the leaves are beginning to fall, and the mornings and nights are quite cool. But oh the days still feel like summer:)

 I have several autumn inspired projects to share along with cards and stamping to celebrate "STAMPtember". First up is the first part of my September calendar spread (haven't finished the second part yet):

 I'll share details about the art in another post.

Both Simon Says challenge blogs are celebrating "STAMPtember" all month long so I have two cards to share with the Simon Monday Challenge (Stamp It) and the Simon Wednesday Challenge (Anything Goes). Also sharing the postcard with Try It On Tuesday (theme is "stitch it"):

Supplies: white notecard and envie; white cardstock;stamps and dies: Label Love, Layered Cupcake- Altenew; Inks: Pink Peony, Turquoise, Buttercup, Leaf Green- Archival, Onyx Black- Versafine; Diamond Stickles glitter glue.

 Postcard:

 Face ( Jane davenport) stamped on 4" x 6" 90 lb. watercolor paper using Jet Black Staz on ink. Sponge Distress inks (Squeezed Lemonade, Spiced Marmalade, Fired Brick, Peeled Paint) onto oak leaf stamps (Magenta). Spritz lightly with water and stamp around the face. Add hair strands with a fine Micron pen. Paint in features and background with Peerless watercolors. Add white highlights in eyes and lips with a white gel pen. Stamp sentiment (Stampendous) using the Jet Black ink. Sew around the edges.

 I remember a recent blog post by Giggles where she posed a ? on whether you are a prankster or have been the recipient of pranks and whether or not you like it. Well, I said yes. And just the other day hubby pranked me . This is how it began:

 I left this tiny dish on the kitchen counter with a bit of wine in it because the few fruit flies there were driving me nuts! I figured this should work since they enjoy getting into my glass of wine now and then. Left a note for hubby as I went to bed before he got home from a late night of work.

This is what I found the next morning when I got up to make my coffee:

 Ha Ha!!!! Didn't scare me one bit as there was so little wine in that dish that there was no way a mouse could drown in it. And I figure if that mouse would have had some he'd be stumbling about on the counter. Nice try Bill;) And so this is my beverage (and mouse) to share with T Stands for Tuesday. Hope it gives you all a laugh as it did me:) PS this did not work to catch those pesky bugs!

 And for Art Journal Journey hosted this month by the lovely Yvonne (the theme she has chosen is "Colour in My World"); Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge 30; and Paint Party Friday I have this journal page:

In case you didn't notice I also have made it my new blog banner:)

 I started the page like this:

 The page was gessoed first then I glued down pieces of peach mulberry paper and hand stamped tissue paper. I then painted over it with Masters Touch Olive Green and Americana Desert Turquoise. A bit of color was removed in places using a baby wipe with the Tim Holtz Woodgrain stencil. Blue Pan Pastel was applied randomly thru the Tim Holtz Honeycomb stencil. I set it with a light spray of Workable Fixative by Krylon. Trees Filmstrip (Paperbag Studios) was stamped onto an acetate panel with Staz On Jet Black ink and glued to pg. once completely dry. I glued down a strip of gel plate printed deli paper and washi tapes (Recollections). Stamped circle(Bokeh Dots- Ellen Hutson) then glued  a Tim Holtz Ideaology Quote Chip and butterfly to complete the page.

 Well, that's it this time around. Are you getting ready for the next season- be it fall in the Northern hemisphere , or spring in the Southern hemisphere? Very soon it'll be time for me to get out the cool weather clothes . But I'll be squeezing in another beach vacay before the flip flops get stored away :)

Thanks for popping in. I'll be around to visit you too!

 " By all these lovely tokens September days are here, with summer's best of weather and autumn's best of cheer."       Helen Hunt Jackson

August Sweetness

  Well, August is about over and soon we will be going into Fall so I am hanging onto every bit of summer warmth I can. This past week has been absolutely gorgeous, and I noticed the nights are beginning to get cooler and the sun is setting sooner, alas...

 I have a few more pics to share from our beach week in Fenwick:

 BTW- this photo is especially for you Chris-and your hubby. I think my hubby and yours would get on just fine:):) We always have a fresh lobster bake one dinner every year and Bill has gotten quite comfortable with it all.  Sharing a sip (or two) of wine with Bleubeard and Elizabeth and friends at T Stands For Tuesday.

 One evening Bill and I went across the street to the bayside to catch the sunset and it was stunning!:

These were taken with my PowerShot -no filters or photo editing. I did use the zoom for the last three shots.

 For the Simon Wednesday Challenge , Tag Tuesday Challenge and the Simon Monday Challenge (themes are "Back to school" and "Study/School Related") I made this card with a tag:

Products: Tim Holtz Paper Dolls and Alpha Tiles; clothing tag; black, ivory cardstock; alphabet stamps (studio g); Versafine Onyx Black ink; Distress Vintage Photo ink; washi tape (Recollections); patterned paper (Colorbök); sewing machine with ivory thread.

 And I am sharing the following journal page with Art Journal Journey (theme this month is Poetry In Motion),  and Paint Party Friday:

  Golden Cobalt Teal and  Masters Touch Olive Green were scraped over the gessoed pg. Tim Holtz Honeycomb stencil was used with a baby wipe to pull color in areas. Hearts (Dina Wakley) were stamped using VersaMark ink then brushed with Pan Pastel in Ultramarine Blue over top. Face was lightly drawn with pencil then I went over it with a black Stabilo All pencil and waterbrush to soften lines. Next I went in with a bit of Neocolor II purple for some color and used a waterbrush on that. Fine lines were added to her hair with a black pen. Stamped the word (Dina Wakley) using Versafine Onyx Black ink. Spritzed Dylusions ink spray in Bubblegum Pink at the top and allowed it to drip down the page. The words were scribbled on with a black glaze pen. I was channeling the movie Titanic and Celine Dion's song for this page.

 I want to thank you Jo for hosting at AJJ this month with your wonderful theme, for all your super entries, and for leaving lovely comments for everyone. You were a brilliant hostess!

 And thanks to all the challenges hostesses and DT members for keeping us all inspired on a regular basis. Mwah!

         " Breathe the sweetness that hovers in August."     Denise Levertov

A Bit Of This, A Bit Of That

  Hello there! How's everyone? Did those of you in the US get to see the solar eclipse today??
Well, I did-just very brief glimpses thru my sunglasses as I did not have the special solar eclipse glasses one is "supposed" to use. I remember as a kid watching it and no one had those glasses then either. We made little makeshift boxes for viewing. In my area the eclipse was mid afternoon and it was only a partial one but still fascinating to me.

 Speaking of special views:

 After the only day we had heavy rain at the beach and the sky began to change we saw this gorgeous double rainbow from end to end over the ocean-pure magic to my eyes. (Scroll down for the art)

 I read three books during vacation:

 From left to right the first two are nonfiction memoirs/travel books-of course about living in France! I thoroughly enjoyed the first one which also includes some recipes. The second one was a very fast read and each "chapter" was only a page or two and you could read them in any order. Some of the chapters were a bit boring though I thought, and hubby agreed. And surprise! I read fiction too:):) My friend finished the Mitch Albom book and told me I had to read it-another fast read that kept me absorbed in the story and I loved it! Of course there's nothing like sipping tea, or coffee, or wine whilst enjoying the books. Joining T Stands For Tuesday with my wine. Cheers!

 A few more beach pics then more in another post so it doesn't get too long:

  We (me on left, Lynne and Wendy) and our guys got a kick at how we color coordinated (without consulting each other) our outfits and our nail polish colors.

                                      Our Cabana Boys! (Chad and my hubby on the right)

 and our third Cabana Boy-and chef for that day-Chuck (aka Chef Rolando). I made him a special toque for the occasion:)

  On an evening when it was my turn to cook I surprised them with chocolate crepes filled with homemade whipped cream and dressed with raspberry chocolate shavings for dessert.

OK, on to the art. I'm starting off with two ATCS:

 Here are close ups:

 They began by cutting two 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" panels from one of the  background papers I made using Distress Oxide inks:

                                            I love the effects of these inks!

Products Used for the ATCS: Distress Mixed Media paper; blue card stock; Distress Oxide inks: Broken China, Vintage Photo, Faded Jeans, Fossilized Amber; Distress ink in Vintage Photo; Tim Holtz Idea-ology Paper Dolls, Botanicals, Alpha Tiles, Chit Chat stickers, Sizzix Thin Lits dies; Diamond Stickles glitter glue; die cut gear (ARTchix Studio); sewing machine and brown thread; Spellbinders die cut machine.

 Joining the Simon Monday Challenge (ATCS), and Try It On Tuesday (In My Garden).

 And for Art Journal Journey (theme this month is Poetry In Motion) and Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge 29 (Anything Goes) I have this journal page:

  I began by gessoing the page then gluing down some magazine clippings using soft gel medium under and over the images. Then I felt like going grungy so I don't recall the specific paint colors I used along with white and black. The number stencil is Faber Castell which I applied with gesso. The leaves and white dots were drawn on with a white Signo ball pen. Made some orange circles with an oil pastel. More mark making using white paint and my finger, then some spattering with black India ink. I wrote the words with a black Posca pen. I couldn't get that old 1960 hit song 'Poetry In Motion' by Johnny Tillotson out of my head so I put it to my page:)

 Joining in later this week to Paint Party Friday too! Thanks for bearing with the long post. See you soon.

          " Breathe the sweetness that hovers in August".       Denise Levertov

Back From Vacay and Reconnecting

 Well hey there lovelies! I've missed you and have lots to catch up on now that I'm back from a fabulous week at the beach in Fenwick Island,  DE with friends. Special cookies courtesy of one of our friends Wendy who is an amazing baker! Still have photo editing to do so I'll have more to share about the beach in future posts. If I can that is.What is up with Blogger?? Not able to load my pictures in "compose" mode all of a sudden! Luckily I was able to figure getting them on the post in HTML or so I hope it all works.

 Upon going through all the mail that piled up including bills and lots of junk was this treasure:

  Last month Bleubeard and Elizabeth of Altered Book Lover hosted an ATC swap to celebrate the 4th anniversary of T Stands For Tuesday and I received this lovely packet of ephemera along with that artsy ATC on the right from Eileen. I love it! The ATC is on my art table and I have already used a piece of the ephemera (on a tag a bit below:) Thank you Eileen!

 Speaking of... for T Stands for Tuesday:

 

   Just before vacation Bill and I went to New Hope, PA in picturesque Bucks County for the day.  The eclectic community of New Hope celebrates the LGBT community and is home to many LGBT-friendly businesses. The main street is lined with unique shops, wonderful eateries and a Playhouse, along with lovely places to stay overnight. I don't have any photos because first off it was a gorgeous day and jam packed with people (and dogs) everywhere!! It was also "motorcycle Sunday" and there were hundreds of them-some quite loud. We went to a Cuban restaurant Mojito Cuba Caribe for lunch and to see our friend Lorenzo play. Great time, and great sandwiches! Drinks were water and virgin mojitos.

 My August calendar spreads :

 I used gel print deli papers for the backgrounds along with photochips from Darkroom Door and some found words from a magazine. And in continuing with the beach theme:

  a page in my small (7" x 9") watercolor journal. Thanks Dianne for showing us how to create pages in this style ;)

Lastly, a tag:

 painted tag from my stash; imagery-old collage sheets; strips of fiber, washi tape; words (Tim Holtz Chit Chat stickers); gold shell charm; die cut scroll from Eileen; assorted Moonshine sequins(Simon Says Stamp).

 Joining in with the Simon Monday Challenge (theme is "nautical"); Tag Tuesday (Use Your Scraps); and Paint Party Friday. I am also joining in with my journal pages at Art Journal Journey hosted this month by the lovely Jo with the theme of "Poetry in Motion'. Thanks Jo;)  Looking forward to catching up with all of you!

                     "We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us."