Pyramid Tea Tuesday

It's Tea on Tuesday already!

Won't you join Kimmie

and the rest of the Tea on Tuesday bloggers?

Go here to join

or to read the other

Tea on Tuesday posts.

   

This morning I'm drinking

Bavarian Wild Berry

by Lipton.

It is made with long leaf black tea, dried apples, rose hips,

chicory, cinnamon, licorice, dried blackberry,

dried currant, ginger root, orange peel, dried blueberry,

and dried raspberry.

Whew!

All of that in one little package.

I mean you can see the little pieces of

dried fruit in the pyramid tea bag.

Aren't they the cutest!

When you pour the hot water over the pyramid,

the aroma is just wonderful!

This is the table

beside my comfy chair

where I usually have my tea

in the mornings.

After daylight

I switch to iced tea or iced water

both with lemon.

 

There are always books on my table,

and some other favorite things nearby as well.

The things on my table are ever changing,

but I always surround myself with things I love.

Do you have a special little nesting area?

This is my new tea mug

that I picked up on my trip to Dallas.

It reminds me every morning

to count my blessings,

to be joyful always,

and to....

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

New Art Doll Round Robin Project

I am in the

Art Doll Cool-aberration 2010 Project.

The 2009 Project was so much fun

and I felt that it really brought out

the creative spirit in me.

 I just could not turn down Gail's invitation

to join another art doll round robin project.

So the first thing we, the artists in the project,

 have to do is come up with a

Doll Start.

The requirement was it only be part of a whole,

and it be mixed media and/or assemblage.

We don't want the dolls to end up

all cloth dolls in the end.

They are to be

MIXED MEDIA ART DOLLS.

Here is my doll start...

This is made from a handmade petit point box

and an old doll head that  I gessoed over.

This shows the box open.

Oh, the possibilities!

Remember these are to be mixed media,

assemblage,

art dolls.

They can also have cloth parts.

Anything goes with art dolls.

In fact the head is cloth.

The doll start will travel around the United States

and Canada,

staying with each artist in the project

for a period of about 6 weeks or so.

Each artist adds something to the doll.

Each one of their doll starts makes

the same rotation.

At the end of about one year,

and about 8000 miles

they end up

back at their

 homes

all finished

and amazing.

We also are to make art doll journals,

as in the 2009 project,

to travel along with the dolls.

Each artist will add to these also.

The journals end up being

beautiful and unique.

 

 

If you are not familiar with my first art doll round robin

please go to my labels

here on my blog,

over on the right hand side and look for

  my art doll

Shimasani.

She was even blessed by a full  blood Lakota.

  It was an amazing year,

and I'm sure this one will be too.

Now I'm off to make my journal start.

" It is a happy talent to know how to play."

----Emerson

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Promises, promises

Well, I promised that I would show you some photos

from my trip to Dallas.

Some of you have ask me....

Where are the pictures????

 I do keep my promises. :)

I finally got time to download them

so here are just a few.

Hope you enjoy them.

These are the

Mustangs of Los Colinas

by Robert Glen, sculptor.

They are the most beautiful bronzes

I've ever seen.

I love the way the little fountains make it

look like they are splashing the water.

Another bronze I would love to see in person

is one that is known by the name

"Grief"

although that is not the real name given to it.

 The sculptor was Augustus Saint Gawten

and it is in Washington D.C.

OK, back to photos of my trip......

Scarecrow family at the Nash Farm...

I love scarecrows!

Bronze sculptors at the airport.

Share the Dream

by Dennis Smith, sculptor

Do children play like this anymore?

I hope so.

I went for walks almost every day.

I would have to leave the apartment,

which was on the 3rd floor,

walk down a few blocks,

to the wooded park,

on Bear Creek.

Well, on the sidewalks I noticed

little cat paw prints all over the place....

and I do mean all over the place!

I guess when they were putting in the sidewalks,

little kitty cats were checking it out.

I just thought it was funny!

The wooded walking park

had every plant marked for identification.

This was marked as

Eve's Necklace.

I had never seen a tree like this before.

It was lovely!

Strands of blue like pearls all over!

Along with plant IDs

they also had plaques like the one above,

each with different information.

It was very educational.

It took me the whole week to read everything,

to walk most of the paths,

and I still don't think I saw all the park.

There is an amphitheatre there,

a dog park, and more.

When you are in the wooded area

you would never know you

were in the middle of a metropolitan city,

until a huge airplane flew low overhead.

I did see a horned toad,

and a little bunny rabbit,

and lots of squirrels in the park.

No pics,

as they were too fast for me!

I saw many of the same people walking every day,

all very friendly.

It was fun,

good exercise,

(especially the 3 flights of stairs!)

and I really enjoyed my visit with

Amy and Jim!

So, anyway you can .....

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Quilt Show and Tell and Wearable Art

This month's quilt guild was full of show and tell as usual,

but I will only show a few of my very favorites.

Faye always has a great story to tell

with her quilts.

This quilt she made for her aunt Evelyn

who is very old by the way,

at her aunts request.

Faye said she felt very rushed in making this quilt...

did I mention that aunt Evelyn is VERY OLD!

It is very beautiful,

as are all of Faye's quilts.

She chose vintage type fabrics,

and used a beautiful pattern,

and there is a green fabric on the back.

She also made 2 shams to go along with it,

because aunt Evelyn requested them.

Aunt Evelyn loved it of course!

Now if you click on the following 2 quilts (to enlarge the photo)...

this one.....

and this one.....

you can see they are made

 from childrens drawings

that were then colored in with crayons.

These quilts were made from the art work of

children from South America

who are at the Bokenkamp Childrens Shelter

in CorpusChristi.

The quilts are for them.

Aren't they wonderful!

This quilt above was made from quilt blocks

that she won in the

Coastal Bend Shop Hop.

Pat made this lovely

One Block Wonder.

One of the ladies is modeling a hand dyed

leaf printed

wearable art piece

 made by our guest speaker,

Laura Davidson.

I like the idea that she took leaves

from places she had traveled to

to make this piece.

Here's the rear view.

She called it

 Coat of Many Leaves.

Textile Art Resources:

 www.dharmatrading.com

http://www.aswexpress.com/

http://www.dickblick.com/

http://www.sewthankful.com/

http://www.rwsss.com/

http://www.softexpressions.com/

http://www.alldunndesigns.com/

http://www.embellishmentvillage.com/

http://www.danamarie.com/

http://www.bobbibullarddesigns.com/

http://www.lauramurraydesigns.com/

http://www.dianeericson.com/

http://www.stewartgill.com/

http://www.photoezsilkscreen.com/

http://www.artglitter.com/

http://www.bonash.com/

http://www.earthsafefinishes.com/

http://www.transferartist.com/

Be sure and check out these books below.

And don't forget to...

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Ladies Day Out Tea

Todays Tea on Tuesday post shows a photo

from a few Tuesdays ago.

It was when I was up at my friend Lana's place.

She puts me up in her cottage

and it is about as relaxing as you can get.

Every morning I woke up

to the sound of the birds,

watched the turkeys and deer outside my windows,

and had a cup of tea,

before going up to sit with her on her porch.

This was the day that I saw the

red dragonfly by the way!

Anyway this certain Tuesday

I had

Celestial Seasonings

Red Zinger tea,

which is delicious.

I looked at a book called

Ladies Day Out

in the Texas Hill Country.

Well,

in late September,

(before my trip to Dallas,

for the unveiling of the wildlife quilt

that my turtle block is in....)

Lana and I are having a few Ladies Day Out

in the Texas Hill Country.

We travel together when we can.

First we are going to Fredericksberg.

Then we are going to Wimberley, Texas.

We will enjoy sitting on the creek,

seeing the sites,

eating good food,

drinking some good wine,

reading a good book,

and just having a relaxing time there,

enjoying each others friendship

and company.

So, have a happy Tea day everyone!

Join us for Tea on Tuesday by visiting Kimmie at

Art in Red Wagons.

I took all of these photos at Lana's place.

Please visit her at

Lana's Threads and Musings

to see what she is creating

and/or writing about.

She is an artist, writer and poet.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

My wildlife block was selected!

Awaiting me when I got home was a letter from the

Texas Department of Agriculture

telling me

 Congratulations!

My quilt block was selected to be a part of the

Texas Department of Agriculture's 2010

"Texas Wildlife: Adventure Awaits" quilt.

They told me that my block incorporated remarkable technique,

a unique use of materials sent to me

(leather, linen and cotton)

 and creative interpretation of the wildlife theme.

The unveiling ceremony is in Dallas at the State Fair of Texas,

Sept. 24th.  They will honor me and the other quilters who were chosen

in this competition.

After the quilt is displayed at the fair from Sept 24 -Oct 17,

 it will travel around the state with the rest

of the TDA's quilt collection

to various shows, festivals and community events. 

I'm so thrilled!!!!!

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Heading to the Big D

Been working on some projects...

kind of getting back into my watercolors....

starting a new art doll round robin...

getting ready for an art show in October

and other things.

But this week I'm going to Dallas.

I will be busy while I'm gone,

but will bring back pictures to share.

So, I will see you all next week.

In the meantime.....

I will,

 and I hope you will....

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Ann Smith ---Thread Artist

  Meet my good friend Ann...

we take yoga together,

we do many things together,

 and she is just amazing.

She is an artist...

very humble...

 especially when it comes to the

beautiful things like her hand embroidery.

 

These pictures can not show you

how beautiful and how textural

these pieces are.

  Shells are what Ann is working on now,

but she has done shore birds, Texas flowers, Texas animals

and much more.

She was born and raised on the Gulf coast,

so she loves nature and it's wildlife here.

First she  finds  inspiration...

Then she makes her own sketches....

Then she creates her own type of embroidery stitches

until it looks like she has painted with thread.

She has a very good eye for detail.

People think it has been done by machine

when they first look at her work.

Or from a distance they even think it is applique,

or cross stitch,

anything but embroidery.

I have never seen hand embroidery like Ann does.

Please click on each photo so you can see the detail.

When she is finished with these blocks,

she will make this into a wall hanging.

Ann tells me it takes a long time

to do this kind of work,

but she enjoys it,

and why be in a hurry.

Too many people are in a hurry these days.

So, I learn from my friend Ann....

slow down,

see the tiny details in nature,

see the beauty I have around me every day,

 and most of all........

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

   

Sapo, sapone, soap

Since we have had a heat advisory

yesterday and today

I have been staying inside

making soap.

I wanted to start making up

a lot of batches (16 bars per batch),

so I would have some on hand

not just for our own use,

but to sell at Trade Days this fall,

and to give away at Christmas

(great gifts btw)

Each batch has to cure minimum of 6 weeks,

so I better start now.

Handcrafted soap

is something we use every day

around my house.

The photo below shows 2 batches of soap

still in the molds,

prior to cutting into 5 oz. bars.

My DH makes the molds for me.

My kitchen looks like a laboratory

when I make soap.

I have all my different oils, the 100% lye,

the 100% pure essential oils,

the bowls, the spoons, the thermometers,

the scales and everything needed to make

great homemade soap.

A long time ago when my grandmother made soap

it was harsh and not so good for your skin.

Today, the science is so exact

that it is very gentle to your skin,

if done correctly.

By the time my soap has cured for about 6 weeks,

there is no lye remaining,

only rich moiturizing 100 % natural ingredients.

It is not real soap unless you have oils plus lye.

The term saponification

is the name given to the chemical reaction

that occurs when a vegetable oil or animal fat

 is mixed with a strong alkali (lye).

The name saponification literally means "soap making".

The root word, "sapo", is Latin for soap.

The Italian word for soap is sapone.

Soap making as an art has its origins

in ancient Babylon around 2500 - 2800 BC.

The oils  I use vary

 and  are carefully chosen 

for the character they impart

to the final soap.

Coconut oil creates lots of glycerin,

 makes big bubbly lather,

and is very stable.

Olive oil has natural antioxidants

and its soap makes a creamier lather. 

Lard makes a white, stately bar

 that is firm and creates abundant lather.

 Many other oils can be used,

each one for a specific reason. 

I usually add things like herbs,

sometimes ground oats, etc.

The alkali I use is sodium hydroxide or lye,

which is used to make bar soap.

The common term for the alkali became simply "lye",

which curiously is not short for alkali,

but originated in the Anglo-Saxon language.

Soap made in earlier American times

became known as "lye soap".

That term is still derogatory to many 

and denotes a harsh soap that will irritate your skin.

Not so.

In fact, well made, well cured handmade soap

is better in many ways

for your skin,

than any commercial soap.

TIP:

• melt and pour soap is not real soap.
• Sandy Maine is one of the best soap makers ever
• 100% lye (crystals) is used as drain opener, no chemicals please

Yesterday I made jasmine and geranium scented soap

with some additional herbs and things.

The scent is going all through the house!

My DH loved it!

Well, I'm off to make more soap!

and to.....

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

T Tuesday

Just thought I would try something new today

for Tea on Tuesday.

If you want to see something new

then visit Kimmie and

 all the Tea on Tuesday bloggers

 at Art in Red Wagons.

We're all listed on her sidebar.

Today I am having a glass of iced tea....of a different sort

It has been so hot here lately.

I've been working outside in my garden

 and I  happened to think of an old fashioned southern iced tea.

Sassafras Tea

It is an herbal tea,

and has been controversial over the years,

just like many other herbal products.

You can  Google it to read more.

One link is here.

This site tells of the controversy

but also of the many benefits.

Sassafras tea was America's first tea,

because the Native Americans

used the Sassafras Tree for many things,

including tea.

 Today

 the controversial ingredient safrole

 has been removed

from the commercial teas.

 Our local grocery had the

concentrated liquid instant tea.

Better than nothing I guess! :)

It has no caffeine.

It said to mix 3 Tablespoons to a glass of water and add ice.

That's it.

It's actually pretty good,

and refreshing.

So, I bought it

and thought I'd give it a try.

What will you try new today?

Trying new things is fun and helps me to...

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Hot Fun in the Summertime!

"Nothing is more completely the child of art than a garden."

----Sir Walter Scott

It's been hot,

but I finally got the last bag of mulch

 into my new garden bed this week.

I took lots of breaks,

drank lots of water and

really enjoyed  every minute of it.

It's a good way to detox!

I had an unsightly tree stump at the edge of where I wanted the garden.

My little garden snake lives under the stump.

 I put this pretty plaque on top of it.

It was a gift from friends.

Now, no one notices the stump as much.

Their eye go to the pretty plaque

and saying instead.

And my little garden snake still has a home.

This bed began as a very small flower bed surrounding a tree.

I wanted to enlarge it

and include lots of plants

that would attract birds and butterflies

near my patio.

They will be drought tolerant

after they are established.

Most have flowers that smell wonderful.

Some are evergreen, some are not.

I will be filling in at times

with annual seeds of

my favorite flowers

such as cosmos.

My garden is filled with things

that have meaning for me,

such as this Mexican birdbath

that my DH gave to me. 

"The sound of birds stops the noise in my mind."

---Carly Simon

   

The unique edging was created by my DH

as he was trimming our trees.

I love it.

The flowers you see are

the hibiscus prior to opening

in the mornings.

This is my Garden Ant!

He is made from rocks and metal strapping.

He is holding a hoe,

to help me with the weeding of course.

Glad you came to visit.

"Flowers leave some of the their fragrance in the hand that bestows them."

---Chinese proverb

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

"Making life beautiful with sculpture."

 This life sized rust patina steel
horse sculpture
was created by
a local Bandera, Tx. artist
named Esther Benedict.
 I thought it was beautiful
so I took a photo of it
while I was in Bandera
last week.

Esther's creed,
 “Making life beautiful with sculpture,”
 makes for a beautiful life.

 The sculpture is standing
among the wildflowers
at the Flying L Ranch and
is just one of
her many sculptures
seen nationally.

Below is a close up photo of the same sculpture.

Below is a poem I came across
 awhile back and
thought it very fitting for this post.
Hope you enjoy it....

Poem by Lacie Marie Wiese


If you follow the river around the bend

Where the rainbow ends and life begins

You'll find a mighty stallion

The sire of a heavenly band



He's red like the fire

That burns within

And white like the pure soul

Confined in him



He belongs to no one

Nor ever will

But you can hear the thunder of his hooves

Then all is still



Does this wonderous horse

Live only in dreams?

Or maybe in the bright sun

As it beams



Or maybe just maybe

He lives in our hearts

Forever and ever

Never to part



Unless we can release him

And set him free

Then this stallion of dreams

Will always be


Savor the Day!
Yvonne