Back In The Game

 Hello everyone, it's been awhile! Hubby and I unplugged and spent almost a week in our beloved Victorian seaside town of Cape May, NJ. We've been going there 25 years now and each time we get into town we say how much it feels like home. It only rained during a night or two, the days were mostly sunny, albeit sometimes quite chilly and windy. It didn't stop me from doing this though:

Only lasted a brief moment because it felt like I stuck my feet in a bucket of ice! Had a wonderful time. Met up with some CM friends along with new people visiting, went to some favorite places to eat, went back to the alpaca farm, did lots of beach and town walking, and found a fabulous tea shop- all of which I will share gradually in my posts:)

 A big hi to Bleubeard and Elizabeth and the T Stands For Tuesday gang! For this week I'll share our dinner the first night in CM. A favorite place- Oyster Bay Restaurant and Bar . This is one place we really enjoy eating at the bar and chatting with people.

A crab cake sandwich, waffle fries and Stella Artois for Bill

while I chose another flatbread-fresh veggie- sauteed with roasted peppers, spinach, zucchini, yellow squash with fresh pesto and a glass of merlot. Bill had to help me a bit but the flatbread was very thin and crisp-very light :)

 When I got home I made this collage in my calendar journal. And here are the completed pages for April:

  For the Simon Monday Challenge (theme is "ombré") I have this card:

 Products: white cardstock, black cardstock; lotus acetate sheet (Stamp On It); stitched circles dies (Our Daily Bread Designs);  several pink and yellow markers; glitter glue; vintage gold dresden corners.

 And for Art Journal Journey (this month's theme is flora and fauna - hosted by Jo);  Moo Mania and More (theme is flowers), and Paint Party Friday I have this journal page:

 (You may remember the similar style painting I did in this post inspired by the Art Sherpa You Tube videos). Page covered with black gesso. Acrylic paints, brushes and q tips. I have two double white lilac bushes in the yard and they are finally blooming and smell gorgeous!

 My days are getting busier with gatherings and events, and of course the fine weather has me outdoors quite a bit so my art time may wane a bit and that's OK. Oh, and next week we'll be dog sitting a friend's shih tzu for a whole week and I cannot wait!!
              Does your art time fade and then pick up as the seasons change?

 Sunday is Mother's Day here in the US, so I want to wish everyone an especially happy and loving day!

" Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life."  Rumi

This and That

 Well, hello everyone! Finally I can report that here in PA we are finally seeing spring come to life with normal to warm temps, sunshine, and and abundance of budding trees and flowers. Most of the weekend was spent outdoors taking it all in :) I hope that for those of you further north you are finally done with the snow too!

 Above is a portion of this card:

 See that little thingy at the top right that looks kinda like a bee or a moth or insect of some sort? Well, the "hello" is a sticker and these three bits were left from the loops of the "h" and "ll"s and I decided to use them too:)

 Products: white cardstock; patterned papers (Carta Bella Spring Market paper pack); sticker ( Carta Bella Spring market large sticker sheets); Archival Jet Black ink; clear stamp - Choose Joy set; Lawn fawn Stitched Borders Dies- all from the Simon Says Stamp Shop; assorted markers; foam tape; glitter glue.

 Joining the Simon Says Flickr Challenge #95 and the Simon Monday Challenge (Flower Power).

 For the Simon Wednesday Challenge (Sparkle and Shine) and the Simply Neutrals Tuesday Challenge I have this card to share:

and here's another angle showing the shimmer I got from the Cosmic Brown Mousse:

 Products: cream notecard, 100# Desert Storm cardstock, Tim Holtz layering Stencil (linen), Carta Bella Spring market Sticker Sheet(tag), Nuvo Embellishment Mousse (Cosmic Brown)-all can be found at the Simon Says Stamp Shop; floral stencil (unknown); black cardstock; paper flower; rhinestone; hemp cord.

 For T Stands for Tuesday I'll share a recent breakfast I enjoyed with my Mom:

 We went back to VaVa's Creperie Café and instead of lunch  this time we chose to go for breakfast and try a breakfast crepe. My thermal mug is filled with green tea which I brought along because I had already had my coffee/caffeine quota for the day:) We both chose the Végétarien which was filled with scrambled egg, spinach, mushrooms and a light amount of cheddar cheese. Delicious!

 One final journal page for Art Journal Journey -this month's theme being " Recycle and Collage" and hosted by Alison. Thanks for your art inspiration and a great theme!

 This is in my calendar journal. Scrap papers and napkin piece from one of my collage /ephemera bins, and some washi tape.

 At the end of the week I am unplugging so I can enjoy the out of doors a few days. Will be back with some renewed inspiration I'm sure;) Until then be well, be creative, be happy!

" It is spring again. The EARTH is like a child that knows poems."  
                                                                            Rainer Maria Rilke

It's All About Art Today

 Well hello everyone! Hope you had a good week last week - and maybe some nice weather too. Finally we had two gloriously warm, sunny days last Friday and Saturday-in the 80's F- flip flop weather - and I was in heaven!! It's much colder and raining now but finally things are blooming and budding and the seasonal birds are appearing :)

 Almost forgot to share March's calendar spreads so here they are:

 And since I didn't show this page earlier I will link it to T Stands For Tuesday and Try It On Tuesday (Recycle Something):

 I covered my page with two gel plate deli paper prints then glued down the recycled teacup and sentiment which came from a calendar from last year, then I just added a strip of paper lace across the top.

 My next project is a mixed media journal page meant for the Simon Wednesday Challenge ( Add Some Texture), Wen's Simply Neutrals Tuesday, and Art Journal Journey (Recycle and Collage);

 Everything came from one of my ephemera/paper scrap bins except- quote chip, honeycomb stencil (Tim Holtz) and a new to me product I picked up recently at a stamp convention- Tonic Nuvo Embellishment Mousse in Cosmic Brown. The shimmer is just amazing- especially on dark paper! They have a nice selection of colors and I would never have thought I'd be picking up a brown but it looks more like copper-so pretty. You can find these online here at the Simon Says Stamp Shop.

 Sunday April 22 is a very important day to note. It is EARTH DAY. We only have one earth and it is each of our duties to care for it in any and every way we are able. This is my journal page (made with recycled magazine clippings and a velvet leaf) to commemorate this day:

 Last I have a watercolor journal page (detail photo at the top of the post):

  I began by stamping the face image (Jane Davenport) with a very light ink (Seashells Sandal by Ranger) so I could then go over it with a black Pitt pen and add some details. I also doodled the flowers, then watercolored with my Peerless paint cards. More details were added to her hair and eyes with a white gel pen. I also used a watercolor crayon in ochre and a sparkly gold pen to add more highlights to the hair. I finished by applying a light wash of blue around then stamped the sentiment (from a Dina Wakley stamp set) using Versafine Onyx Black ink.

 Joining the Simon Monday Challenge (Let's Doodle), and Paint Party Friday whose talented roster of watercolor artists that link up have inspired me to play with this medium again. Even though I'm really not so good at it, I will give it a go on occasion. Thanks Paint Party Friday peeps!

 Thanks so much for your visits. I'll be around to see you too!

" In the creative process, one action leads to another, and the final outcome is shaped by a chain of expressions that could never be planned in advance."          Shaun Mcniff

Who's Holding The Key to Spring?

 Well, still unseasonably cold here and a bit of snow is again in the forecast! They say that by the end of the week it will be MUCH warmer. We'll see.

 Let's start with a treat. I made a Blueberry Dutch Baby in my cast iron skillet for Sunday brunch for hubby and I -and it was SOOO good!

 Have a slice won't you? I adapted a recipe I recently found in a magazine. This is similar to a pancake but lighter and more eggy (is this a word?).  Recipe at end of post.
Joining Bleubeard and Elizabeth for T Stands For Tuesday,  and Cast Iron Fridays.

 There is a birthday celebration happening at the Simon Wednesday Challenge with special prizes! Happy 9th birthday, and thank you for all the inspiration challenges and projects!!

If you have been coming here regularly lately you know how much I have been loving using this brick stencil-it's also on the garden pic at the top :)

Products: Neenah Classic Coat Solar White 110lb. paper, brick wall stencil, clustered leaves die, Tessatina border die, Versafine Onyx Black ink, Distress Tea Dye ink- all from Simon Says Stamp; clear stamp (Mega Mixed Messages set -Papertrey Ink; metallic patterned paper (DCWV).

 I will also share my card with the Simon Says Flickr Challenge  #95 and  Simply Neutrals Tuesday.

 A journal page collage:

 Images from a folder of magazine clips I just pieced together. Joining Art Journal Journey for the theme of "Recycle and Collage" this month along with Try It On Tuesday for the theme of "recycle something"..

 And this tag (you saw a glimpse of it at the top of my post) is meant for the Simon Monday Challenge (theme is Mythology/Inspired by a Story) :

  The Secret Garden immediately entered my head and this tag came together quite effortlessly. I love the 1949 movie version of this story so I had to use a vintage girl! And I do love the way my brick wall turned out:)

Products: Tim Holtz Distress tag, Paper Doll, Botanical; napkin (background); black wire; modeling paste mixed with a bit of black paint; Brick Wall stencil (Simon Says Stamp); key charm (from my stash); computer generated words; Diamond Stickles glitter glue.

 Also joining Paint Party Friday! Have a super, fun filled week, and do share if you try the recipe for the Dutch Baby:)

 “I am sure there is magic in everything, only we have not sense enough to get hold of it and make it do things for us” 
                 ― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden


                                               Blueberry Dutch Baby

1 c. milk      3/4 c. flour      2 Tbsp. sugar     1/2 tsp. salt       4 lg. eggs    zest of 1 lemon

3 Tbsp. butter    fresh blueberries (or sliced strawberries)        confectioner's sugar

10 or 12" skillet ( I used the 12").

 Place rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Whisk eggs, milk and sugar in lg bowl. Add lemon zest and salt. Gradually whisk in the flour and mix until smooth.  Place the butter in the skillet and place in the oven 3 min. or so until butter has melted. Remove from oven and swirl butter around pan to coat then pour  the batter in the skillet. Bake 17 - 20 min. until puffed and golden. Sprinkle blueberries over then dust with confectioners sugar. Serves 2 - 4.

April (Snow) Showers

 Hi! How is everyone?  Thought I'd start you off with a smile. The above is in my calendar journal. The colorful background is a recycled candy bar wrapper from Wegmans. Other images are from ARTchix Studio. I simply mounted the card to black cardstock before gluing it onto the page. Joining Try It On Tuesday for the new theme of " Recycle Something".

 Ah, and although we are now in April the weather continues to say otherwise:

this is what we awakened to today (Monday morning)! Really??? And we only the day before put out some patio furniture and planters and had a lovely warm and sunny day. Good thing is that this should melt quickly. My poor trying to bloom forsythia bushes on the left :(

 To cheer myself up I am using my gorgeous new poppy mug (y'all know how much I love red poppies:)

 Sharing my cuppa with the gang over at T Stands For Tuesday hosted by Bleubeard and Elizabeth. Speaking of, one of the regular gals Chris has been playing with her gel plate and sharing her marvelous prints. It inspired me to have a play day and make more deli paper prints since my supply of those has diminished significantly. It's my very favorite paper to print on! These are what I made so far- and these are just the base layers. I'm sure to add more stamping and stencilling over top:)

 I am not concerned about the creases because once the paper is glued onto a page the crease disappears.

 This tag is meant for Tag Tuesday (Diamonds Are Forever), a A Vintage Journey's Tag Friday, and the Simon Wednesday Challenge (anything goes)::

 There is a new theme for April over at Art Journal Journey! The new theme is "recycle and collage" hosted by Alison. Thanks to Eileen I will also link this page to Simply Neutrals :)  I have this journal page to share:

paper pieces from my stash along with hand printed tissue paper and washi tapes.

 Joining the party over at Paint Party Friday too! I always look forward to visiting and seeing what everyone's doing. Have a super week!

 "Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and the pupil are located in the same individual."            Arthur Koestler