Ink Spillers Attic

Dreaming of Winter recipe

2012-02-02T15:33:00.000-06:00

I recently toured a Texas winery,

Dry Comal Creek,

and found it so interesting.

It was such a beautiful spring like day.

Along with the tour

they gave us a wine tasting,

shared some recipes with us,

and I came away with some goodies from the gift shop,

plus a couple of bottles of wine.

Here it is February 2nd and it seems like spring.

I'm loving it!

I remember when I lived in the high desert of California,

I actually experienced snow in the wintertime.

Here, not so much.

It seems many across the country this year are

dreaming of winter,

and actually missing the snow and extreme cold.

Some people love snow

and cold weather.

Me, not so much. LOL

But anyway,

I thought I would share with you

a winter recipe I got at the winery.

We used to make this

when I did live in the snow.

I think it was also called Grog by some.

If you are not having your 'normal' snowy winter,

then dreaming of winter is the next best thing.

Mulled Wine or Gluhwein

1 bottle of red wine

1/2 cup sugar

3 cinnamon sticks

6 whole cloves

1/8 tsp. ground allspice

1/8 tsp. mace

1 orange sliced

1 lemon sliced

Pour wine into large pot and begin heating over low heat.

As it begins to warm, add sugar and spices.

Stir unti sugar is dissolved.

Heat thoroughly but do not allow to boil.

Add orange and lemon. Steep for one hour over low heat.

You may add more sugar during this time if desired,

stirring until it dissolves. Strain mixture and serve.

Here is another recipe of Gluhwein that you may enjoy.

http://dreamingofwinter.blogspot.com/2009/08/gluhwein-recipe.html

And notice the name of the blog....

Dreaming of Winter.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Odd Tea Day

2012-01-31T01:13:00.003-06:00

Happy tea day!

Kimmie's blog

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

is where you can visit for more tea Tuesday posts.

As you may know,

my blog has many enchantments,

fragments, and oddments.

Today's tea fits right in.

Odd can be a good thing,
don't you think.

This is a certified organic by OCIA iced tea called

Sweet Leaf,

out of,

wouldn't you know it,

Austin, Texas. :)

The flavor I bought is

mint and honey.

It's very delicious and refreshing.

On the front of the label it says,

'premium green tea leaves

infused with spearmint and real honey'

But what is odd, but fun, is what it says on the back...

OUR STORY

"We found this great flavor while traveling through Morocco on bicycles.
Our folks weren't very excited about the semester of class we missed,
but at least we came home with the most delicious tea recipe ever...
and a couple of kilim rugs for our college apartment.

When we first started,
we brewed our tea in pillowcases
and filled each bottle by hand.
We've grown since then,
but we're still inspired by Clayton's granny, "Mimi,"
who taught us never to use ingredients we can't pronounce.
We hope you have as much fun drinking our tea
as we have making it."

Enjoy, Clayton and David

Pillowcases? Odd but I guess it worked.
Too funny!

THEN under the bottle cap is

Grannyism #44

PUPPY LOVE IS REAL TO PUPPIES

I love that!

Do you read your tea boxes, bottles, tags, under caps, etc.
like I do?

It's one way to slow down and...

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

P.S. BTW...Another 'oddment' in this post is the clay art doll in the photo above.

I did not make this one, and I'm sorry
I can't remember the local artist name who did make it.

This little piece is odd but cool.
I get inspired when I see her,
and I guess oddments like these help me to.....

Savor the Day!
Yvonne

Heron watercolor and quote

2012-01-29T22:46:00.000-06:00

Birds...one of my favorite things.

Green Heron

practicing my watercolor

“When despair for the world grows in me, and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be -- I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought or grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.”

---Wendell Berry

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Art is not a THING...

2012-01-28T01:00:00.002-06:00

Art is not a thing; it is a way.

---Elbert Hubbard

Wanted to share with you some of our art league members art.

Click on each photo to enlarge.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

New art league location

2012-01-27T01:22:00.006-06:00

Our local art league has a new place to have meetings,

to paint, to show, and sell our art.

It's a nice big room,

and we started setting it up today.

About half of our members were able to help today.

These hangers are wonderful!

No holes in THESE walls.

Our

Artist of the Month

Peggy

OK, I'm set up and ready....almost.

Better move those loose papers.

Total pieces of art brought in today...

over 50!

Whew!

We still have a few things to do

before Saturday,

but it's looking great.

We love the space.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Young art students

2012-01-26T01:33:00.001-06:00

I have recently joined the local art league,

and I feel honored to be a part of it.

One of the things the art league does is to

recognize local young artists,

and to award scholarships to art students.

We had two art students attend the last meeting,

and I was so pleased to meet them.

This is Alyssa,

one of our art leagues

scholarship recipients

from TAMUK.

She is showing one of her prints

along with the block she carved.

Amazing work!

This is high school student, Jaquelyn,

with her colorful acrylic painting

she created from her own drawing.

Very nice work.

I believe both of these young women have lots of talent,

and we will be seeing much more of their wonderful art.

We need to celebrate the next generation of

America's artists of all kinds.

Arts education helps young minds to develop critical skills

in analytical thinking, interpretation, and creative interaction.

Support young artists everywhere.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Advice from a Dragonfly

2012-01-25T01:29:00.002-06:00

My friend Karen recently took a trip to Key West.

She brought me back a little gift from

The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory.

She knows how much I love dragonflies....

especially ever since I was blessed to see this red one below.

So I wanted to share what her gift said...

Advice from a DRAGONFLY

Spend Time Near the Water

Be Colorful

Enjoy a Good Reed

Zoom in on Your Dreams

Appreciate Long Summer Days

Keep Your Eyes Open

Just Wing it!

---Ilan Shamir

Pretty good advice don't you think!

Learn more about dragonflies

and other wildlife creatures at

http://yourtruenature.com/learn

To read more about my red dragonfly click

http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2010/08/red-dragonfly.html

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Understanding Beauty and Truth Tea

2012-01-24T07:30:00.000-06:00

Japanese proverb---

If man has no tea in him,

he is incapable of

understanding truth

or beauty.

Happy Tea on Tuesday everyone!

My sister and I had lunch

at a wonderful Asian restaurant.

I enjoyed a pot of

Jasmine tea,

while she had some green tea.

Both very good and healthy.

The food was delicious too!

Green tea is the variety

which keeps the original colour of the tea leaves

without fermentation during processing.

So I drink a lot of green tea.

Jasmine tea is one of my favorites...

but then again I have so many favorites. LOL

Scented tea, like the jasmine tea, is made

by mixing fragrant flowers

in the tea leaves

in the course of processing.

The flowers commonly used for this purpose

are jasmine and magnolia.

There are many others I've used in my own tea mixes.

I would love to try magnolia one day,

but haven't found it here locally.

Hope you give new tea flavors a try

and...

...visit Kimmie and others for more tea posts.

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Walk off the Earth

2012-01-23T15:37:00.000-06:00

This is a very cool video.
I was impressed with how they did it.

Savor the Day!
Yvonne

Soap Making Class

2012-01-22T16:47:00.000-06:00

It's a great time to make soap!

I've been making cold process for about 12 years,

and now and then someone wants me

to teach them how to make it.

Cold Process Soap is the traditional way that soap has been made for many years.

My Granny used to make soap, but it was not

like the handcrafted soap of today.

Soap is fun and easy to make.

More and more people are going back to using handmade bars of soap.

Real soap is when you mix lye and oils

that creates a chemical process.

LYE + OILS= SOAP

This is not melt and pour that you may have heard about.

Real handcrafted soap is mild and moisturizing to the skin

and uses all natural ingredients.

Here is Marilyn making her Goat's milk soap,

using milk from her very own goat's.

Woeking hard making their soap......

Even Marilyn's husband Glenn got in on the fun!

Ann (in the front) is making a batch with orange essential oils.

Smells sooo good!

Nzalani is testing oil temperatures for her first batch.

She used many kinds of oils and dried herbs, plus

some great essential oils like Jasmine.

One student did have a quick trace time (seizing)

in one of her batches of soap.

Sometimes you have to move fast

when making soap.

Also at times certain oils will cause it to seize,

or even certain fragrances.

Temperatures affect soap,

and even humidity.

Go here for some troubleshooting questions about soap making problems.

http://www.soap-body-and-spa.com/Cold-Process-Soap-Troubleshooting.html

Appreciate your mistakes for what they are,

and learn from them.

The class was fun.

I think everyone learned a lot.

Nothing like hands on learning.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Hymnal page feather tutorial

2012-01-18T01:16:00.002-06:00

I have seen these paper feathers all over the Internet lately,

and absolutely love them.

You can use whatever paper you wish...

hymnal pages, dictionary pages,

maps, magazine pages etc.

They are not hard to make,

and take just a bit of time.

Here's how I do it....

You will need....

1. torn out pages from old, torn up thrift store hymnal

or any paper you choose

2. wire, fabric covered works good for me

3. wire cutters

4. pencil

5. tacky glue

6. card stock or heavy paper for patterns

Cut narrow strips of a hymnal page,

to cover the stem later.

It takes two hymnal pages per feather.

Draw your feather shapes onto card stock

or heavy paper,

and put a pencil dash down the middle.

Bend your wire almost half,

so it is a bit shorter than the feather pattern,

and leave

one single end of wire longer and

sticking out for the stem.

Put a bead of glue down on one page,

where the wire will be,

and sandwich the wire between two sheets of hymnal paper.

You can see the single part of the wire

sticking out the bottom of the sandwich.

That is the feather stem.

I don't glue the entire sheet together,

just the center where the wire is.

Then I let it dry completely.

After it's dry you can trace the feather onto

the dried sandwiched pages,

lining up the wire inside

with the dash on the pattern.

Draw around the pattern,

and cut out.

The paper you use will determine the size of the feathers.

Also adjust your wire accordingly.

Then I wrap the single wire stem with the strip of paper

I cut earlier,

using glue to hold it in place.

Lastly, make diagonal cuts to the center

with sharp scissors.

Two finished feathers.

I am in the process of making a few more.

You can bend the finished feathers

to make a more real look.

I plan on using my feathers

in a mixed media piece.

Let me know how yours turns out.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Morning Dew Tea

2012-01-17T01:59:00.002-06:00

Happy Tea on Tuesday!

While on our anniversary trip,

we stayed at El Rocio B&B

which means

The Morning Dew.

Lovely place down in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

Warm weather, and just a short drive south.

I enjoyed some green tea while there,

and took it on my morning walk,

along with a fresh picked orange.

We saw birds of many kinds,

and they love the citrus as much as we do.

Here is a kiskadee enjoying his breakfast,

and to the right

you can see a clay colored robin.

I also saw a chachalaca and paraque,

which are now added to my birding life list.

I walked a labyrinth on the property.

It is said that walking a labyrinth is a right brained task,

that involves intuition, creativity and imagery.

Our cottage, Casa Jardin,

had nice touches like this hand made quilt.

Loved this unique woodpecker door knocker.

Then we saw the little hobbit type meditation room.

Below shows a bit of the green, lush gardens outside our door.

Love the colors of the stucco walls too.

The rusted metal 'spirit lady'

that says

'Live in the Light'

was one of my favorite pieces

of garden art they had on the grounds.

Visit Kimmie for more tea posts.

You never know what you will find there.

Kimmie has lots of unique things in her Etsy shop too.

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Can you see it?

2012-01-16T01:26:00.003-06:00

I saw a pauraque!

In the scrub of the Rio Grande Valley

this 11 inch bird was on the ground

making a 'pur' sound now and then,

then a 'wheeer'.

Can YOU see him?

He is facing to the right,

and his long tail mostly blends in with the leaves.

He is very hard to spot,

but is almost right in the middle of this photo I took.

Family---nightjars

--low to the ground foragers

--Caballero de la Noche,

or Gentleman of the Night

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Penguins, bunnies and flower quilt close ups

2012-01-15T01:44:00.000-06:00

Today I wanted you see some close ups of some of

the Conner show quilts.

This is a close up of

Penguins on Parade

83" by 112"

Every other block is a pieced penguin,

and the blocks in between

are quilted with penguins.

Nice touch Joyce.

Next is one of Shirley's heart quilts.

This block is an upside down heart

with bunny ears and a tail.

Embroidered beside it....

"My love for you will never fail,

as long as bunny has his tail."

Every block has a different heart design,

some pieced, some appliqued,

but I thought this was the cutest and most clever.

The entire quilt measures 46" by 58".

Pretty Flowers for a Pretty Girl

43" by 43"

made by Joyce for her

great granddaughter.

The flowers are large and 3D.

Very pretty.

Savor the day!

Yvonne

Snowmen, butt-flies, and echos quilts

2012-01-14T01:25:00.000-06:00

This quilt is called

Fanciful Snowmen and Women

94" by 95"

Sandy says, " My husband Glenn was reading my quilt magazine and ran across a snowman quilt and exclaimed, "I can do that." so he proceeded to design his own snowmen and women. He decided that they did not have to all be the same shape and could be dressed any way you wanted to. So he designed the quilt that you see, with there being a man and woman each, a skier, a skater, a sledder, a cowboy, and a cowgirl, and so on. He cut out the designs on freezer paper. I helped him pick the colors of material and I used heat bond to put on the block. I did all the top stitching and decorations and faces of the snowmen and women. So it is truly a husband and wife project, our first quilt that we made together."

Here is a close up of one snowman block.

Shawn's Butt Flies

(below)

69" by 79"

June says, " The name credit for this quilt is given to my daughter Shawn. When she was a toddler we would sit on the porch and look at butterflies, which she promounced 'butt-fly'. There is a ladybug for the viewer to find on the quilt, good luck finding it."

Close up below shows some of the border design.

This wall hanging below

is called ECHO and

was designed and hand stitched

by my friend Shirley.

It measures 25" by 20".

She used two different sides of fabric in creating this look.

More quilts to show you tomorrow.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

The Many Faces of Eve quilt

2012-01-13T01:10:00.004-06:00

Members of the Saturday Quilters made a block

from a big and beautiful lady.

Each had to dress the lady as they chose.

Sandy won the blocks

and put them together in the attic window pattern.

She calls it The Many Faces of Eve or

Big and Beautiful

76" by 85"

Sandy says, "I used the attic window pattern and grouped the ladies in groups of four.

I used the pin striping material in between to appear to be like wall paper.

The intent is that you would be looking through these four windows and these ladies would be what you see through the panes."

This is the block that I made.

I used a thrift store napkin for the dress,

added beads near the hem,

and gave her a long grey braid.

I painted the background with desert style colors,

and then to top it off,

added a tour bus sign in the background.

I believe Joyce made this one.

She gave her a pretty red dress,

and then look at the next photo....

WhooHoo, she has pretty red panties underneath ! LOL

Very clever!

Here is a close up of a group of blocks.

All were fun blocks!

Tomorrow look for more photos.

Savor the day!

Yvonne

Quilts...

2012-01-12T11:40:00.000-06:00

A bed without a quilt is like a sky without stars.

Baby quilts...

nothing more fun to make.

I made this little quilt

for my great nephew Robbie,

from plaid fabric a friend gave me,

and then I added some more plaids

from little boys shirts.

I haven't made many traditional quilts this year.

I've been concentrating on art quilts.

My Mermaid is now at the

Celebration of Quilts 2012

show at the Conner museum

at the university.

To see/read more of my art quilt

The Mermaid click

http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2012/01/mermaid-art-quilt.html

The next few days I will be showing you

some photos of some of the other quilts.

Most are traditional quilts and all are lovely.

Here are a few to get you started.

This is Birds of Paradise

66" by 79"

June says,

"I had so much blue fabric in my stash

from a previous fish quilt I designed,

that I will be quilting for the rest of my life!"

She is an art teacher and designs her own blocks.

Cats, cats, cats

49" by 49"

Nancy designed each block herself.

Each cat is looking out a window.

She said this was a fun quilt to make.

Really cute Nancy!

Here's a close up of one of the blocks.

Be looking for more photos.

Savor the day!

Yvonne

Books and Tea

2012-01-09T22:06:00.000-06:00

You can never get a cup of tea large enough

or a book long enough to suit me.

~C.S. Lewis

Books and tea go together somehow,

don't you think.

This morning while having a cup of chamomile tea,

I began looking through my books.

I then thought of which books

I would like to read in 2012.

I don't always read what is on the

Best Sellers List.

I often read so called

'vintage' books,

that were published years ago,

and I just missed out on reading.

Right now I have two books on my list...

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

by Rebecca Skloot

The Warmth of Other Suns

by Isabel Wilkerson

Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

More Tea on Tuesday posts can be found here...

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Lists, Petite Lefant, and flowers

2012-01-06T17:30:00.000-06:00

I have always been a person who makes lists....

lists for groceries,

lists of creative things to do,

lists for books I still want to read,

lists for DIY home projects,

lists of which flowers I want to have in my yard eventually, etc.
and the BIG one, the LIFE LIST.

My father was a list maker, so I guess that's where I get it from.

Below is one flower I would love to grow in my yard,

so it will go on my list.

I found a blog post that talks of a "life list"

and wanted to share.

She has some unexpected things on her list.

It's a bit different than a bucket list she says.

http://petitelefant.com/life-list/
Here is what she says about making a life list...
"Do you have a Life List?
I’m not kidding,
this one took me five days to come up with.
I didn’t take it lightly,
I really pondered things I want to get accomplished
in this life of mine.
There’s really something to writing something down,
committing it to memory
and promising yourself you’ll get it done.
100 things really affords you
the indulgence of dreaming big."

So think about it!

In the meantime I wanted to brighten up your winter day

with some of my flower photos.

Enjoy!

Hope your days are cheery.

Savor the day!

Yvonne

Writing on the Wall

2012-01-06T01:17:00.003-06:00

Today my fun friend Karen and I went to lunch

at the popular local eatery.....

Young's Pizza.

It was my first time there! :)

Since I am fairly new to this area btw.

Karen told me the story

about HER name (from the 70's) being upstairs somewhere,

(you can see the circular staircase in the backgrouond).

The most famous and distinguishable feature of Young's Pizza

- other than their extraordinary pizza and the patooties-

are the walls and ceilings of the restaurant.

They are completely

- and I mean COM-PLETE-LY-

covered in various scrawls of pen, paint,

and marker,

of visitors' scribbled names and messages

all throughout the restaurant.

Their one rule is.....

NOT to write on the tablecloths

or on the face of the mural of the school mascots.

There are also old drawings, old letters,

vintage school memorabilia,

old photos, old posters, and even the nose of

an airplane crashing through the ceiling

(sorry no photo of that)

Some walls, ( like in the women's bathroom ),

are papered with the

funny papers (comics).

Young's Pizza is the place to go for great food.

This is one of the best eating spots in town

and it's where all the locals go,

and have for many years.

I will definitely go back.

It's fun, it's unique, it has great history,

it makes everyone smile,

and of course has great food.

It's one way to....

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Sugar Scrub Recipes

2012-01-04T22:24:00.002-06:00

I just received a gift from my friend Irene in Kansas.

It's a wonderful sugar scrub

scented with lavender essential oil.

It smells and feels so good.
I sure enjoy using gifts like this.

Sugar scrub is something I used to make,

when I began making soap years ago.

It's been many years since I've made scrubs,

so this is really a treat.

Irene put it in a pretty jar with a domed lid

and even added in a stir stick.

Sometimes the oil will rise to the surface,

and has to be stirred before using.

I don't know how she made this specific scrub,

but it is a very pretty color isn't it.

I found my old recipe for a brown sugar scrub,

for you to try if you want...

1. equal parts white sugar and brown sugar,

enough to fill the container(s) you put it in.

2. olive oil, enough to saturate the sugar mix really well.

3. essential oil of choice

or even vanilla or almond extract is nice for scent

4. Put it in a jar and add a pretty label.

5. Enjoy yourself or give as a gift.

This type of spa product should be used on damp skin.

It only takes a little bit to moisturize and exfoliate.

Try some different spa products of your own.

Here's a good link for 14 different scrubs,

and really cute ideas on packaging.

http://www.tipjunkie.com/sugar-scrub/

You will be surprised how inexpensive they are to make,

and it's another way to.....

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Mermaid art quilt

2012-01-04T01:00:00.004-06:00

2012 quilt exhibit

Conner Museum at Texas A&M Univ. Kingsville

Jan. 9th to Feb 29th

Reception will be held Jan. 19th.

Every year my friend Brenda and all the Conner staff do a wonderful job

of putting this exhibit together.

The majority of quilts shown are

traditional bed quilts by a talented local quilt group

The Saturday Quilters.

There are a few art quilts, which mine will be one.

MERMAID

24 inches by 21 inches

The appeal of the mermaid; by and large, an unsavory lot.

There are many different legends about mermaids

throughout the world

as we all seem to be captivated by them.

This art quilt is made partly from my hand dyed fabric,

which some is soy wax batik...

and partly from purchased fabric.

I hand painted the mermaids face and torso

using watercolor pencils and acrylic paint.

I used raw edge appliqué, beading (on her tail),

and hand embroidery for this art quilt.

I finished it off with free motion quilting

using variegated thread.

My friend Karen suggested I do a mermaid quilt and

I really had fun doing this one.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Whistling tea tuesday

2012-01-03T01:11:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year!

and

Happy Tea on Tuesday.
I look forward to another year
of tea with Kimmie and with you.

For my first new years tea post
I wanted to share a couple of the tea related gifts
I received at Christmas.

One of the things my DH gifted me with was a

whistling tea kettle.

The tea pot I've been using for years (not whistling)

came from

a thrifting adventure a long time ago,

so it was time for a new one.

I love it and use it daily.
I can hear it whistle clear at the other end of the house.

The whistle is louder than I thought it would be.

I guess I will retire my old tea pot

and make a birdhouse out of it.
We are having more birds than ever lately.
The weather is from the 50's to the 80's,
sometimes all in the same week.

Here is a photo of a tea pot birdhouse (not mine),

but I think I may attach a spoon

for a perch on mine.

I've used old tea cups and saucers,

for bird feeders too.

I always wondered ...

where did the whistling tea kettle have its origins.

Right after World War 1, a sheet metal company in London began producing a whistling tea kettle. The owner, Sholom Borgelman, who later changed his name to Borman, is credited with the invention.

My collection of tea mugs is growing!

One of the 'tea' gifts I received

from my friend Karen
was a Santa mug.

The best thing was that

it was filled with

her homemade hummus.

A great idea and tasty too!

It was wonderful!

Nothing like new tea gifts,

but don't forget to do something

with your old 'tea' items.

Don't just send them to the landfill.

Visit Kimmie for more tea posts at

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

She has great stuff in her Etsy shop too.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Neil Gaiman video and quote for the New Year

2011-12-28T20:43:00.002-06:00

Here is a quote from Neil Gaiman.

It is my wish for all.

"May your coming year be filled with magic

and dreams

and good madness.

I hope you read some fine books,

and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful,

and don't forget to make some art -

write or draw or build or sing
or live as only you can.
And I hope,
somewhere in the next year,
you surprise yourself."

- Neil Gaiman

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Savor the day!

Yvonne

Dried Oranges

2011-12-28T01:40:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile since I've dried fruit of any kind,

but when I was reminded of it by Kimmie

on one of her lovely posts at

Art in Red Wagons

I decided to try my hand at it again.

I strung them up and hung them on my patio.

They look lovely in the sunshine!

They remind me of stained glass.

I just took some ribbon

and did some quick weaving in and out of each slice.

I had a total of 40+ slices from one bag or oranges.

You could do different things with dried orange slices...
for Christmas you could

put glitter on them and hang as tree ornaments, or

glue to a wreath (like Kimmie's beautiful wreath).

I thought of hanging the swag at my kitchen window also....
anytime of the year.

We've had some wonderful weather these past few weeks,

and even got some rain.

Maybe I'll dry some apples next!

Hope your holidays have been merry
and I hope you all have a Happy New Year!

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Chrysanthesum Tea

2011-12-27T01:20:00.003-06:00

Happy tea day!

This is the last of my posts,

for this year,

joining in on Kimmie's Tea on Tuesday .

How time flies!

It's been an exciting year for tea.

I've tried all kinds of new teas,

received tea gifts,

and made some new tea friends.

To read some of my past tea tuesday posts,

just go to labels in my sidebar

and click on Tea on Tuesday.

This morning I'm having a

Chrysanthemum Tea Drink,

or Tra Hoa Cuc...

made by Yeo's out of Singapore.

It is an authentic Asian drink

found in a 10 oz. can at my local grocer.

It's actually pretty good.

I heated it in the microwave and poured it into my

small lidded, hand painted,

made in China cup,

that I found while thrifting this year.

I love lemon with tea, and is sweetened with sugar cane.

Lemon will actually help preserve

the flavinoids found in tea.

To read more interesting facts on tea,

a buyers guide and steeping tips,

click here....

http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/healthy_cooking_101/shopping_cooking_guides/tea_buyers_guide_and_steeping_tips

I look forward to many more tea days with you.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

What words make you think of Yellow? inchie

2011-12-26T01:52:00.005-06:00

I can hardly believe the

Every Inchie Monday Project

is over for this year.
This is the very last inchie for this project.

The prompt word for this last week is

YELLOW.
These are words given to watercolor paints.

What words do you think of when you think of yellow?

Sherwin Williams came up with these...

...full moon

...butter up

...june day

...bee

...decisive yellow

...cheerful

...lantern light

...lemon chiffon

and more.

Vi sit Kris to see what is happening!

http://everyinchiemonday.blogspot.com/

As for me,

and my inchies,

I have already put them into an art piece...all 52 of them.
I actually finished all of my inchies in September
and created the piece called WORDS.
It was in my head from the get go.
Some of you may have seen it,
but if you haven't you can go here...
http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2011/09/words-inchies-and-art.html#links

It's been great fun Kris!

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

The Creative Personality

2011-12-23T01:09:00.003-06:00

creative (syn)

imaginative, ingenious,

original, resourceful, clever,

inventive, innovative, mystical

This was taken from Webster's Thesaurus.

You may want to read this article called

The Creative Personality

by David Lyman

After you read the article

let me know which one describes you the most.

I think the one that says,

"Creative people don't mind being lost"

fits me the best. LOL

It's wonderful to have creative friends isn't it.

This past week I have received 2 creative gifts

from friends.

My friend Lana sent this wonderful notebook to me....

red, black, white fabric/ribbon collage...love it!

The word FRIEND,

and the word timeless

and its definition on front as well.

Vintage button and lace.

The feather is a very nice touch,

since I love feathers.

The heart is poly clay.

That's fabric on the inside covers...

with words such as authentic,

simple, pure, timeless, and real...

along with the definition for each.

I love it, thanks Lana!

I may put my collection of quotes in it.

From the article, I always see Lana

(who is an amazing fiber artist and poet) in this....

"Creative people see things, where others do not."

You can see her work here...

http://lanasthreadsandmusings.blogspot.com/

My friend Karen gave me one of her bottle creations.

This is her best yet!

Karen saw that I have some Day of the Dead art

in my home, so she created a little art doll
for this Dio de los Muertos creation.

What is so cool about it is that she made the doll from poly clay

and used wire for the little legs,

and put it inside the bottle! Too cool!

Then she adds different things like old jewelry (for some bling of course),

vintage buttons etc.

The bottle is covered with black lace,

(leaving a window to see in of course),

then in the top is animal print sheer fabric

with a vintage cross jewelry pendant

on top of that.

I love it Karen, thank you!

From the article, I see Karen in this....

"Creative people are not content with the obvious."

Karen is so full of creativity that

her whole house is filled with her own unique,

beautiful, repurposed furniture and decor.

She is very special and always makes people smile!

I am so happy both of these creative women are in my life.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Winter Solstice

2011-12-21T22:28:00.000-06:00

"From mid to end of December is the darkest time of the year.

Like our gardens our own animal natures begin drawing us inward,

we take refuge in layers of warm clothing,

hot tea and darkened rooms

brightened by candles and working fireplaces.

We may even feel wistful and contemplative

as outer "sight" slips mysteriously into inner "insight"

and we take stock of what is passing

and what is possibly coming towards us,

just not yet here or fully visible.

This is winter solstice! "

---Eileen Lawlor (behavorial therapist)

Here is a beautiful Native American flute song titled

Winter Solstice

by Rona Yellow Robe

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Tea unplugged

2011-12-20T01:51:00.002-06:00

Happy Tea on Tuesday everyone!

I've had my sister visiting all last week,
and we've been out of town off and on
for Christmas visiting.

I really needed to take a break

from blogging, taking photos,

and even my art.

Sometimes you just have to unplug

from all your normal routines.

While my sister was here I did take one photo

for today's post.

We had lunch one day at

Hester's Cafe and Coffee Bar.

My tea was called

Kauai Cocktail Tea.

'BERRY' delicious!

During this holiday season I hope you have a chance

to get unplugged, enjoy each other more,
go see Christmas lights,
and sing songs of the season.
You don't have to be focused on getting just the right photo
of all the events that take place.

Just commit all the wonderful moments

to memory, and....

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

What words make you think of green? inchie

2011-12-19T01:43:00.003-06:00

Words for green are wonderful!
These are words given to colors in a watercolor palette.

Not only in watercolors but in

paint colors from places like

Sherwin Williams have great words for colors.

Here are just a few 'green' color words...

...center stage

...envy

...festival green

...spirited green

...workout green

...jitterbug jade
...dancing green
...lacewing
...grasshopper
...espalier
...eco green
...Kilkenny

and more.

What's your word for green?

This inchie and 51 others I made

are in one piece called
WORDS..
Click here to see it...
http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2011/09/close-ups-of-words.html

The year long project of inchie art can be seen here....
http://everyinchiemonday.blogspot.com/

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

What words make you think of blue? inchie

2011-12-12T01:32:00.004-06:00

These are words given to colors in a watercolor palette.
Blue is one of my favorite colors.

For the month of December,

the Every Inchie Monday prompt words

are colors.

This week the word is

BLUE.

I am sticking with the theme of

paint words used for colors.

Not only watercolor paints,

but Sherewin Williams paint colors.

For blue I found ...

...bewitching blue

...blue beyond

...dazzle

...hyacinth tint

... nautilus

...aviary blue

...carefree

...bubble

and more.

What's your word for Blue?

This inchie and 51 others I made

are in one piece called
WORDS..
Click here to see it...
http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2011/09/close-ups-of-words.html

The year long project of inchie art can be seen here....
http://everyinchiemonday.blogspot.com/

Savor the day!

Yvonne

Wise old owl tea

2011-12-05T15:04:00.000-06:00

The wise old owl sat on an oak,

the more he saw the less he spoke,

the less he spoke the more he heard,

why aren't we like that wise old bird?

We have a great horned owl who visits our backyard

quite often, and I spied him again this morning.

Happy Tea on Tuesday everyone!

Since I haven't been able to photograph my local owl

when he visits, I thought I would show you

my new little snowy owl ornament I bought.

My DH and I will be putting up the tree tonight,

and he will be this years addition.

Isn't he cute!!!

I'm having Egyptian Mint green tea today by

Zhena's gypsy tea and I'm enjoying it

in my 'snowman with birds' mug I found last year

(while thrifting of course).

I hope you are having a good day.
We finally got some cooler weather again,
down to the 50's. But still no rain for us here...
it got close, but never made it this far south.

Glad you stopped in, and to read more tea posts

visit Kimmie at

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

Kimmie also has lots of great creations in her Etsy shop.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

What words make you think of red? inchie

2011-12-05T01:20:00.004-06:00

These are names for colors in a watercolor palette.

This weeks inchie is for the prompt word

RED.

I love color!

I also love the names given to colors.

I was looking through Sherwin Williams paint colors

and this is what I found for reds.

...cherry tomato

...gypsy red

...heartthrob

...fireworks

...real red

...stop

...ablaze

...positive red

What's your word for red?

This inchie and 51 others I made
are in one piece called
WORDS..
Click here to see it...
http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2011/09/close-ups-of-words.html

The year long project of inchie art can be seen here....
http://everyinchiemonday.blogspot.com/

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

PPF Christmas Angel

2011-12-02T05:49:00.000-06:00

Happy PPF!

This is my mixed media Christmas angel.

I love doing my angels on hymnal pages,

book pages, or watercolor paper.

I usually add acrylics, and also quotes

that I print out on paper.

I use stencils quite often in the background.

She is a full size watercolor sheet.

I named it,

To Live in this World...

From Mary Olivers quote,

"To live in this world,

you must be able to do three things:

to love what is mortal

to hold it against your bones

knowing your own life depends on it

and

when the time comes

to let it go,

to let it go."

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Time to Relax (recover) tea day

2011-11-28T13:40:00.001-06:00

Now I can relax,

or is it recover? LOL

It's been a very busy but accomplished Thanksgiving weekend.

On top of a wonderful Thanksgiving day,

my art show yesterday was a great success.

(keep scrolling for pics of the show)

So today I'm resting up and having

Yogi Kombucha green tea

with all my Tea on Tuesday friends,
just a bit early, but hey, that's okay.

What a beautiful day!

As you can see I've already got my

Christmas mug out as I look out the window,

at our sunny 32 degrees.

It's feeling like Christmas!

My Yogi tag this morning says,

"Delight the world with compassion,

kindness and grace."

My sister and her band had a great Christmas performance

at the Texas Theatre yesterday, and I was lucky enough

to show and sell my art to a sold out crowd of about 300, at this event.

This is my sister Lanette and I before the show.

I had 4 tables full of art of different kinds,

and floor easels for my bigger watercolor pieces.

My husband Gene built all 12 of my easels, floor and table top.

He also built the wooden risers for my art dolls.

The risers were 6 inches square,

varying heights, and painted glossy black.

They sure set the dolls off nicely.

He is so supportive in my art,

and so helpful, especially when it comes to

my shows.

I could not do it without him.

I can't love him enough.

This old Texas Palace theatre, where the event took place,

was recently remodeled and is just beautiful.

The band performed a wonderful show.

It wasn't just music...it was much more.

One nice thing was...

they told the story of some of the old traditional

Christmas songs they sang.

Some very interesting history behind the songs.

Here they are singing A Soalin'...

one of my favorites.

What a wonderful way to kick off

the Christmas season.

Thanks to all who came!

Savor the day!

Yvonne

Amusement

2011-11-28T01:15:00.003-06:00

I don't play BINGO myself,

although I have in the past...

but it is estimated that over 90 million

bingo cards are bought every week

in the United States alone.

You can find all sorts of amazing facts

on the history of Bingo.

For instance...

The number one reason for playing bingo is enjoyment -

winning money comes in fifth.

So my

AMUSEMENT

inchie uses a vintage bingo piece...

BINGO!!!!
:)

Click here..
http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2011/09/close-ups-of-words.html
to see all 52 of my inchie art pieces in one
mixed media piece titled
WORDS.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Dear God, thanks for this beautiful life...

2011-11-24T07:42:00.002-06:00

Paint Party Friday
http://paintpartyfriday.blogspot.com/
Wanted to share this

little 4 by 6 watercolor I did awhile back...

with all of you today.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Shine through Art Tea Day

2011-11-22T01:17:00.003-06:00

The holidays are upon us once again.
I received a Thanksgiving card in the mail yesterday,

and while admiring it this morning,

I am having a cup of Yerba Mate tea.

The card was made by Krystal, age 16, Houston, Tx.

This card celebrates the artwork

created by young patients

in the Children's Art Project...(CAP)

The Art Project is

part of the Univ. of Tx.

MD Anderson Cancer Center,

and it gives kids with cancer

the chance to shine through art.

Visit http://www.childrensart.org/

I think art is essential for children.

Kimmie has more links to tea posts,

so go visit her at

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

We all Pretend...

2011-11-21T01:44:00.001-06:00

We all wear masks at one time or another.

We pretend behind our masks,

for whatever the reason.

Norman Cousins,

an American political journalist,

author, professor,

and world peace advocate. ...

once said,

“The great tragedy of life

is not death,

but what dies within us while we live.”

An article by Ellen Borowka states,

"Don’t let your mask suffocate your inner light,

but rather use it to create safety and security

so your light burns brightly to the world."

Today's prompt word for

Every Inchie Monday is

PRETEND.

To read Ellen Borowka's full article go here...

http://www.lighthouseconsulting.org/Articles/KOTMasks/

See WORDS here...
http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2011/09/close-ups-of-words.html
It is my finished piece with all 52 inchie art pieces.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Time for Traditions

2011-11-19T12:07:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year for traditions, more so than

at any other time of the year.

A tradition is a ritual, belief or object

passed down within a society,

still maintained in the present,

with origins in the past.

(Wikipedia)

Tradition has begun to loose its importance in modern times.

I think that this is a very sad thing

My visit to the King Ranch today

got me thinking of traditions.

This photo below was taken at a

King Ranch Tradition,

the King Ranch hand breakfast.

Everyone (over 4000 people) has a relaxed,

laid back, good time.

There is food, fun, roping, music,

cowboy poets,

rug weaving, pan de campo cooking,

and more.

I love to see the cowboys,

because my dad was a cowboy.

It's a way of life that still survives on the
King Ranch.

This morning it was all about the food.

Here they are putting brands on aprons for visitors.

Below is one of the many longhorns on the King Ranch.

Even though this is not the ranch's own breed, people love to see them.

You think tradition is a bunch of bull or

do you think it's important for all of society today?

To find out some interesting things about this ranch that is bigger than

the state of Rhode Island, go to

http://www.king-ranch.com/

Come visit us here in south Texas!

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Libelle--- art doll

2011-11-17T03:03:00.001-06:00

This is Libelle,

(the Dutch word for dragonfly)

Libelle is gathering up many dragonflies.

The dragonfly means many things

to many people over the world.

Amongst Native Americans,

the dragonfly is a sign of happiness,

speed and purity.

Purity because the dragonfly eats from the wind itself.

In most cultures a dragonfly landing on you means

CHANGE or GOOD LUCK.

Libelle is simply shades of white,

and made from polymer clay.

I emblellished her with vintage lace

beads, and silver dragonflies.

It's hard to tell in the photos,

but I imprinted her entire body with

flowers and vines.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Inchie for Natalya--daring

2011-11-16T02:04:00.000-06:00

My inchie post is late this week.
This Every Inchie Monday yearlong project

has made me really think about things,

when prompted with each weekly word.

This weeks prompt word is

DARING.

It brought to mind many things,

but this headline especially stuck in my mind.

"Daring Natalya Silenced by Bullets"

That was the headline telling about

Natalya Estemirova,

Chechen journalist, activist,

and warrior,

who fought a nation with words.

She may have lost her life

but she might still win the war.

Her far reaching human rights report

was released the day of her murder.

So many warriors who fight with words,

and who fight with might,

are silenced with bullets.

But the fight continues on,

for human rights everywhere.

This little inchie art

is to remind us of those who

have lost their lives by being

daring, bold and fearless.

They will not be forgotten.

"Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward;

they may be beaten,

but they may start a winning game."

--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

To see my finished mixed media piece called

WORDS, click on

http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2011/09/close-ups-of-words.html

I included 52 inchie art pieces.

Visit Kris at

http://everyinchiemonday.blogspot.com/

for more inchie art.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Each friend represents a world to us.....

2011-11-15T01:32:00.002-06:00

"Each friend represents a world to us,

a world possibly not born

until they arrive

and it is only by this meeting

that a new world is born."

--Anais Nin

Happy Tea on Tuesday everyone!

Today I am enjoying some Zen Granny tea,

with all kinds of herbs, dried orange peel,

and dried blueberries.

I've posted about this tea before,

and it has really become one of my favorites.

___

My friend Karen gifted me those really cool

glass objects that I posted about in my previous post.

http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2011/11/what-is-it-and-surprise.html

She also gave me one of her unique creations

"made from unloved things" that others have discarded.

Well, it is loved now...for sure!

I thought it appropriate for tea day,

as I promised I would show it.

I just fell in love with the little vintage pitcher,

the vintage saucer on top,

and all the bling added to it.

Thank you Karen.

I can use it for many things....

to hold a small potted plant,

as a candy dish,

soap dish,

candle holder,

jewelry holder and more.

I think it will reside in the kitchen for a little potted herb, for now.

And I love the handcrafted soap Karen gave me too!

______

Speaking of soap.....

Kimmie (from Art in Red Wagons)

and I swapped our handcrafted soap recently.

I received her package in the mail this week,

and she sent along a few other goodies too.

It smells wonderful!

And I love the packaging Kimmie!

She made this fabric, purse sized tissue holder.

Very practical and pretty.

I needed one, thank you.

And this 'made from a book spine' bookmark is very cool.

The other side has butterflies on it.

I love everything Kimmie,

thank you very much.

Visit Kimmie not only for tea day,

but to see her wonderful creations as well.

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

She has an Etsy shop that is filled with wonderful creations.

Well, I hope you....

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

What is it???? and a surprise!

2011-11-13T10:26:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was our local

Trade Days,

and although the crowd was

not as large as in the past,

I had a great time.

My friend Karen had her

wonderful creations there too.

Here we are before the crowd arrives.

I suggested to Karen to do something

to draw attention to our booth.

I told her I was going to bring my blue bottle tree.

She wore her Pink hair! LOL

Great idea Karen! Too cute!

We had unique, one of a kind, fun items

for the person who has everything.

Karens creations are

"repurposd art made from unloved things found at the

thrift store, garage sales, or

left by the road".

This is one of her decorative bottles she creates.

It not only looks great on the outside,

but inside there is sand, shells,

and a message....

message in a bottle!

Note the little bottle hanging by wire off the side.

That's cool!

Here's a great soap dish,

( it could be used for anything...candy dish etc.),

and on top of the dish is some of Karen's homemade soap,

wrapped up very pretty.

I just recently taught her how to make homemade soap,

and her cinnamon, coffee soap is wonderful

(seen below)

Looks so pretty and smells sooo good!

Here is another one of my favorite creations she made.

I think it's great that she put vintage buttons

in the margarita glass.

(you can click on each photo to enlarge)

Very fun and very creative.

WHAT IS IT

OK, I guess you are wondering about my post title....

What is it????

These are four of many that were the big attraction at our booth.

Can anyone tell me what they are?

All I know is they are glass.

Now for the surprise...

when I hold them up to the light,

they look like this...

and this...

They are gorgeous!

Each one different.

If you know what they are,

Karen and I would sure love to know.

Thanks for stopping by!

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

A Theatre with a Past

2011-11-10T02:59:00.002-06:00

The restored and newly opened Texas Theatre

in Seguin, Tx. will be the location for my next art show.

http://www.thetexas.org/The_Texas_Theatre/Home.html

"A Merry Texas Christmas"

will be the show, put on by my sister's band...

The Almost Patsy Cline Band.

Click on their name and read all about them.

Lanette and the band are

Bandera’s Award Winning Official Goodwill Ambassadors

and recently got inducted into the Bandera Music Hall of Fame.

I am very proud of her!

She has been playing music and singing,

since she was a young teen.
The entire band is very talented!

Click on the following link for more info about the theatre's coming attractions.

http://www.thetexas.org/The_Texas_Theatre/Coming_Attractions.html

including this upcoming show for Nov. 27th,
as the band is performing again...
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND.

This is the APC band in front of the newly restored Texas theatre.

My sister Lanette is the woman in the cowboy hat! :)

It should be a lot of fun!

Savor the day!

Yvonne

Tree goddess and mermaid art dolls

2011-11-09T01:06:00.005-06:00

Art Doll number 1---

She is a tree goddess.

She stands on an actual tree slice for her base.

Total height is about 13 inches.

She has a dragonfly on her forehead.

Doll number 2---

This one is a mermaid, and has metal wire for her hair.

She is holding a pearl bead.

She sits on a wooden base,

and is about 9 inches tall.

Here is a close-up...

Now I have to name them

for the upcoming show.

Ummmmm.....Decisions, decisions....

any ideas?

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Tea day and art

2011-11-08T01:47:00.000-06:00

This morning I am having some tea

that I picked up

at the local Middle Eastern market.

It's actually a very good black tea.

I always add a little agave nectar to my tea,

and sometimes some lemon.

Visit Kimmie for more tea posts.

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

Is there art on your tea packaging today?

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Bees for Life inchie

2011-11-07T03:30:00.007-06:00

“Bees work for man,

and yet they never bruise Their Master's flower,

but leave it having done,

As fair as ever and as fit to use;

So both the flower doth stay and honey run.”

---George Herbert

Visit http://agreenliving.net/role-of-bees-in-human-survival/

for an interesting article.

My inchie this week uses a little bee attached to watercolor paper,
and the prompt word cut from an old dictionary.
To see my finished WORDS mixed media piece,
click on
http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2011/09/close-ups-of-words.html
It has this inchie plus 51 more!
Visit Kris for more inchie art.
http://everyinchiemonday.blogspot.com/

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

November Art Reception

2011-11-05T11:08:00.000-05:00

The November art show reception was last night

and I wanted to share a few photos with you.

This was an all member, non judged show.

My husband and I walked into the art center,

and I have to say that all the art was wonderful.

There was quite a variety of art media showing.

There were photos on canvas, photos on metal,

collagraphs, watercolors, oils, drawings,

my mixed media art dolls, assemblage and much more.

I was so happy that my sister, Lanette,

was able to make it to the reception.

Here we are standing by my mermaid art doll, Myrena.

There was wine, punch, food,

and music by the Art Center band.

There was also a drawing for a coastal painting

done by a local artist.

The crowd was still growing when we left the reception.

The show will be up all month.

It's always exciting to see an all member show

and I look forward to the next one.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Wind turbines and birds

2011-11-01T02:18:00.000-05:00

Nature...

it's amazing!

Here in south Texas,

we are lucky to have such a wide variety

of birds and wildlife
especially coming through in the spring and fall.

But the sad thing is...

we are slowly taking over wildlife habitat.

This photo was taken

at Lake McQueeney, Tx.
I loved how he was walking on the lilly pads.

Here are some facts about this area where I live now...

510 bird species,

300 butterfly species,

over 1200 plant species

• Biologically the most diverse locale in America

with 11 distinct biotic communities

• Diverse interspersed habitats - tropical runs into temperate,

semi-desert meets riparian forest, fresh water mixes with salt

water - islands, lagoons, coastal wetlands, ox-bow lakes, reservoirs

I took this photo the other day,

not far from our home.

We see herons all the time,

and many other birds as well.

BTW...

Can you see the windmills in the background?

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Graffiti inchie and my graffiti art best of show

2011-10-31T01:38:00.004-05:00

This inchie is from a photo of some actual graffiti that I found.

I have made graffiti art background pages,

along with Bea and Kris.

I put together a piece awhile back,

using our pages,

and entered it in an art show

where I won

Best of Show.

This was last year,

but for those who have not seen it,

click here to view.

http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2010/06/graffiti-wall-project-done.html#links

It also sold the night of the reception.

I was thrilled!

Visit Kris for more inchie art.

http://everyinchiemonday.blogspot.com/

To see my finished inchie mixed media piece with 52 inchies in it,
click
http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2011/09/close-ups-of-words.html

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Time to Fly

2011-10-30T02:02:00.004-05:00

Time to Fly

It's fall, and millions of monarch butterflies are migrating

to warmer climates for the winter—

heading either to the California coast or through here in south Texas

to certain mountains in Mexico.

My friends Karen and Steve took this photo recently of

Monarch Butterflies in their yard.

They said there were several hundred in their trees

out by their picnic table.

What a beautiful site to see!

I just had to share it with all of you.

Click on the photo to enlarge it

for a more spectacular view.

"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower."
---Hans Christian Anderson

"You can chase a butterfly all over the field and never catch it. But if you sit quietly in the grass it will come and sit on your shoulder." ---Author Unknown

Karen states."God truly is the greatest artist!!"

I totally agree!

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

More fabric collage

2011-10-29T03:02:00.004-05:00

In my previous post

I showed you some of the

beach themed fabric collages

I'm making for gifts.

Here are just a few more I've made,

with different themes.

You can click on each photo to enlarge if you like.

or use your own vintage photos.

This one uses some of my pieces of rusted fabric,

and also a dictionary page for the word

Cowboy.

You can add anything.

Sometimes I add my paper fabric,

pieces of old maps etc.

This one uses a piece of sari ribbon.

I save even the smallest pieces

for projects like this.

I like to mix florals, stripes and solids.

I also alternate often with lights and darks.

Remember balance and design principles,

even for things such as these fragments.

If you make some, let me know,

I would love to see them.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

A surprising labyrinth

2011-10-28T01:43:00.001-05:00

Each time I take a little trip

I look at the labyrinth locator online

and find out where I can find one to walk.
I also think they are very pretty.

Click on http://www.labyrinthsociety.org/

to find one near you.

I found one at a spirituality center in the Tx. hill country.
I had to go beyond the second building
to the prayer path and take the right fork.

I walked and walked through the wildness of the land,
and sometimes I would come across a place to pause.

I kept walking the winding path
that was lined with local limestone rocks,
seeing lilttle surprises now and then.

This little statue was just one of many surprises.

This 8 ft. tall wooden Fruit of the Spirit plaque was another surprise.

Then about 250-300 yards in...

the path opened up to a clearing and there it was....

I had arrived at the labyrinth.

It was an eleven- circuit labyrinth —

a Texas vernacular reinterpretation of the well-known design at Chartres.

I was so pleased and surprised.

Here I am at the center of the labyrinth.

So, find a labyrinth.
You may be surprised too.

Savor the Day!
Yvonne

Fragment Fabric Collage

2011-10-27T02:41:00.001-05:00

What do you do with lots of pieces of assorted fabrics

that are given to you?

Make fabric collages.

I have been having more fun making these.

and I always add a quote.

Vintage buttons and embellishments are used also.

I make them anywhere from 8" by 10" to 16" by 20".

Here are some with a beach theme.

"Don't wait for your ship to come in.

Swim out to it."

"You can comb the sands or lie in the sun,

the choice is yours, as long as it's fun!"

"A real friend is someone who takes a winter vacation

on a sun drenched beach, and does not send a card."

"Live in the sunshine,

Swim the sea,

Drink the wild air."

---Emerson

Each one has raw edges on each fabric layer.

Denim or some similar heavy fabric is used on the back

to stiffen the piece, so it hangs nicely.

It is added last, to cover up all the stitching that was done.

Then I stitch a hanger on the back,

and it's ready.

You can stiffen it further by adding

spray starch to the back.

Makes great gifts.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Odyssey--- art doll

2011-10-26T08:30:00.000-05:00

I finished my 3rd art doll last night,

for an upcoming art show in November.

You can see Hyacinth, who was the first one

I made for this show,

by clicking here...

http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2011/10/art-doll-hyacinth.html

You can see Myrena, the second one I made for this show,

if you click here.

http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2011/10/mermaid-art-doll-on-tea-tuesday.html

Now meet

Odyssey.

She is very colorful and I wanted her to look

like she comes from

under the sea.

Odyssey is made using polymer clay, just like the others.

Her hair is recycled sari yarn,

which I love

and I've used it often on my art dolls.

On top of her head are 5 poly clay fish

with beads for eyes.

I first tried a hat, but then went with

something totally different.

There is a tiny shell on her forehead,

and she has a turquoise stone necklace.

Here is a close up view.

Next photo is the back view.

Odyssey is mounted like the others,

on a 4 inch square wooden base.

Hope you are enjoying the fall weather

and creating something.

It's all to help us...

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Mermaid art doll on Tea Tuesday

2011-10-24T22:02:00.001-05:00

Happy Tea on Tuesday everyone!

I'm posting early btw.

This morning I had

Tahitian Vanilla Hazelnut by the Yogi Tea Co.

I love how it has a little quote

attached to each tea bag.

Visit Kimmie for more tea posts.

Click http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

=================

My DH told me I needed to make a mermaid art doll

for a show I have coming up soon

at the Port Aransas Art Center.

Here on the coast there are so many mermaid items,

that I never really wanted to make a mermaid....

until now.

I wanted this one to be a little different.

Remember, she is an art doll...

so anything goes....

she has no arms,

no flowing hair,

does not look like your average mermaid...

but you can still tell she is a mermaid,

by her tail (of course)

Here is....

MYRENA

Myrena is 12.5 inches tall,

and is made from polymer clay.

Here's tips on how I created her.......

I wanted to give her lots of motion, so...

Her bottom hips and tail are straight on,

with her upper body turned to the right,

then her head looks back to the left.

Her tail comes up and is quite large.

For color...

I added nutmeg brown acrylic paint to her entire body,

then wiped it off right away,

just leaving a hint of brown,

especially in the recessed areas.

Then on her tail I added silver liquid leaf,

just on the high spots, not in the recessed scales etc.

This will tarnish over time,

and should be very pretty,

with her indented scales still showing the brown.

You can seal the liquid leaf if you choose.

She is attached to a 4 inch square wooden base

that is painted black and has a gloss sealer on top.

She is mounted with a dowel that goes into her body.

There is also a dowel in her neck connecting

her head to her body, for strength.

That's it.

Hope you try polymer clay one day.

If you do, email me and send me a photo.

Would love to see what you are doing.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Words of Encouragement

2011-10-24T01:26:00.004-05:00

Do you remember getting gold stars in grade school,

every time you did a great job?

It always made me feel encouraged to do more good things.

I had a teacher who always said,

"OK students, You did great yesterday,

now let's get started on doing even better today.

Let's see how many gold stars I can hand out."

Here are some words of encouragement
she always wrote on the blackboard....

The words are...

BEGIN

IMAGINE

LAUGH

BELIEVE

SEEK

PLAY

TRUST

LISTEN

CREATE

CONNECT

TOUCH

FORGIVE

PRAY

HOPE

CHOOSE

APPRECIATE

GIVE

READ

WRITE

RELEASE

To see this inchie in a finished mixed media piece click,
http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2011/09/close-ups-of-words.html

Come visit again.
Tomorrow I will be showing another art doll.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Daddy's Little Girl

2011-10-22T01:53:00.002-05:00

I have been making some fabric collages.

These are just fragments of raw edged vintage fabric,

trim and buttons from long ago.

I also use copyright free vintage photos

and I usually add a quote.

This one is for my niece Bekah,

who is having a little girl

in December.

I think this little girl holding her doll is so sweet.

The quote says...

"I love being a girl,

because I'm daddy's little girl,

and that rocks!"

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Art Doll--Hyacinth

2011-10-21T02:46:00.001-05:00

I named her Hyacinth.

Another name meaning hyacinth is

Giacinta.

I wanted to do something really different this time.

She is painted polymer clay.

Her hair comes from a horses tail.

There is a bead and feather at her neck.

Then I added a little tiny bird on her hat.

At her shoulders she has hooks,

like there could be arms added.

But....

She has no legs and no arms.

I didn't add fabric to her either,

like I usually do to my dolls.

She is attached to a 4 inch square wooden stand.

I painted it black and put

a pretty stencil on it

and some turquoise dots

here and there.

She will be going to the art center.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

FOLK magazine

2011-10-20T04:24:00.000-05:00

I recently won a magazine called

FOLK from Amy over at

Four Corners Design.

http://www.fourcornersdesign.blogspot.com/

Thank you so much Amy!

This magazine is wonderful!

You can visit the magazine website at

http://magazinebyfolk.com/

or visit their blog at

http://americanfolklifeblogspot.com/

There are ads of course

(and even those are great),

but mostly there are great articles,

patterns, DIY projects, recipes,

home decor tips and ideas,

great photos and much much more.

It is filled with things that

"immerse the reader in a life that journeys at a slower pace"

as Editor-in-chief Ben Ashby says.

If you like to see and read about the little things

that make life worth living

then check it out.

It's another way to...

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Fondue !

2011-10-19T01:55:00.001-05:00

Each month my friend Karen and I

decide on a theme for a dinner get together.

This month was FONDUE.

When is the last time YOU did fondue? :)

We had chicken, shrimp and beef

that could be cooked in oil or broth.

There was cheese fondue with bread,

a salad, and lots of sauces to choose from.

For a drink we had lemongrass tea,

which was out of this world.

Fondue is a very communal meal,

and we loved every minute of it.

It was a first for our friend Margie (in the red shirt),

who is 80 years old.

You are never too old to try something new.

For dessert, we continued the fun

with many different dippers

(pretzels, rolled wafers, fruit, marshmallows, biscotti)

in coffee chocolate with almonds,

chocolate with orange liquer

and also a caramel sauce.

It was a good way to end the meal.

Try something new to you,

or do something you haven't done in years.

Laugh, laugh and laugh some more.

Nothing like good food,

good friends,

and fun to help you....

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Tea Day with Eleanora Duse

2011-10-18T01:00:00.002-05:00

It's Tea Tuesday already!

How time flies!

Today I am having some tea

that was sent to me by

Patricia at

Artfully Ooglebloops.

The tea is a blend of green tea, acai, pomegranate and blueberry .

Very nice, thanks Pat!

All of those good things from the earth,

and the cup my daughter Jessica gave me years ago,

made me think of one of my favorite quotes...

"If the sight of blue skies fills you with joy,

if the simple things of nature have a message you understand,

rejoice,

for your soul is alive."

---Eleanora Duse (1858-1924)

Eleanora Duse was an Italian theatre actress,

in the 1800's and early 1900's.

She was the only woman to make the cover of

Time magazine in 1923.

Many said she was more talented than any other female of her time.

She became her characters.

She knew how to.....

Savor the Day....

Yvonne

Fleetwood Mac - Dreams

2011-10-17T01:03:00.003-05:00

I love this song!

Here is my DREAMS inchie.

For more dream inchies visit Kris at

http://everyinchiemonday.blogspot.com/

This inchie is in my finished mixed media piece

WORDS,

http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2011/09/close-ups-of-words.html

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

PPF Hummer

2011-10-14T02:13:00.004-05:00

A flash of harmless lightning,

mist of rainbow dyes,

The burnished sunbeams brightening

From flower to flower he flies.

- John Banister Tabb

And the humming-bird that hung

Like a jewel up among

The tilted honeysuckle horns

They mesmerized and swung

In the palpitating air,

Drowsed with odors strange and rare.

And, with whispered laughter, slipped away

And let him hanging there.

- James Whitcomb Riley

Happy Paint Party Friday everyone!

Visit http://paintpartyfriday.blogspot.com/

for more creativity in painting.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

WIP's to Share

2011-10-13T01:22:00.001-05:00

This week I've been working on several new projects.

I'm making some Fragment Fabric Collages,

each with a different theme.

This one is a cowgirl theme and says,

Cowgirls Promise--All Grit and No Quit

As you can see, I have each piece pinned on right now.

I will do some stitching and add some embellishments,

like the vintage buttons and lace you see here.

Then I will add batting and a back to it,

along with a way to hang it.

Fragments are a fun and easy way

to use up scraps of fabric and lace.

---

I am also making

felted wool wrist pincushions.

While visiting my cousin Paula recently,

I saw that she was using one,

and how handy it was.

She had lots of felted wool and fabric scraps,

so I started making them during my visit with her.

I love using mine,

when I'm doing hand work.

My plan is to make plenty of handmade items

for the Christmas season,

that is quickly approaching.

Do you have any great ideas you would like to share?

If so, I would love to know how to make something new.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Time to make soap!

2011-10-12T02:16:00.001-05:00

Well, it's that time again.

Time to make soap.

I've been making soap for about 12 years now

and always have fun doing it.

I've tried many different recipes

and shared my love for this old craft many times.

This day I shared it with my friend Karen.

Remember her? She's my tree hugging friend.

As you can see,

she is having fun stirring the soap mix and

acting silly for the photo! LOL

Karen learned how to make a basic batch of handcrafted soap,

using several kinds of oils and lye.

She made it especially hers by adding coffee grounds and cinnamon essential oil.

Here it is still in the mold,

after sitting overnight wrapped up in blankets.

Now it is hard enough to cut into bars like mine.

My batch is Patchouly/Lavender.

The batch made 17 bars of almost 4 oz. each.

After 3 weeks of curing,

they will be ready for their labels.

_______

I was going to keep making more batches,

but then my 12 inch long glass thermometer I use for soap making, BROKE!

OH NO!

No more soap making today!

I just went online to

Majestic Mountain Sage at

http://www.thesage.com/

and ordered another one, a metal one this time.

That old thermometer lasted a long time.

I also ordered some essential oils,

one new one being 'sweetgrass' EO.

Oh yes, I also ordered some

French Green Clay

to make soap with.

This soap is called

Savon de Marseille.

In France it has been used for generations

to clean everything from

linens to babies' skin.

The soap got its name because the city of Marseille,

on the southern coast of France,

was one of the most important

soap-making centers of the Mediterranean.

French green clay is a natural clay hidden deep beneath the earth's surface.

It's very good for the skin.

I am excited about making this soap!

So try an old craft,

learn something new,

have fun and....

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

It takes TEA to tango

2011-10-11T00:20:00.000-05:00

When I went through Corpus Christi recently,

I stopped in the Tango Tea Room for lunch.

I learned about this wonderful little hide away

from my friend Karen.

Visit http://www.tangofandango.com/

to see just how wonderful this little place is.

For lunch I had their special of the day,

the Saigon sandwich,

which is fried tofu with avocado,

shredded carrots, cucumbers,

cilantro and spicy Saigon Sauce

served on a Bolillo Roll (vegan).

Also vegan chips on the side.

It was delicious to say the least!

They have over 60 varieties of green, black,

herbal and medicinal teas.

Every day they select two teas

brew them up for a tasty iced tea experience.

I chose the Bongo Congo black tea,

with a slice of lime and stevia.

(loved the playing card flower centerpiece on the table.)

They also serve Jet tea which is blended ice, fruit and tea.

Also on the menu is

Hot tea by the pot, and

chai tea latte, hot or iced.

They have wonderful vegan and gluten free food here.

I require neither one really,

I just like great tasting food!

Did you know that stressed spelled backwards is

DESSERTS!

So, next time,

to help keep my stress level down (good excuse anyway)

I will try

one of their wonderful desserts, like

Lotus Chai Heaven,

or Mucho Mocha.

Visit Kimmie for more tea posts..

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

It's one more way to...

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

The Eye of Curiosity and giveaway winners!

2011-10-10T01:47:00.016-05:00

"This week look at life with your “eye of curiosity”

and let your heart and your mind wonder

as you approach a new experience.

Trust that the work has been done,

that you are where you are

because that’s the best place you could be.

Let go of the past experiences

that somehow left you bruised

and skeptical

and welcome the possibilities

a brand new day offers to you."

---Anna Scherer

This inchie is already in my finished
mixed media piece
WORDS
http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2011/09/close-ups-of-words.html

The eye is acrylic and used
in making polymer clay art dolls.

Now...
announcing the 3 winners of
my studio stash giveaway.
I had my husband draw three names
and they are....
Tammy of T's Daily Treasures (in Kuwait)
Teresa of Cedar Junction (in Texas)
Mary Anne of Magpie's Mumblings (in Canada)

Please send your mailing address to me at...
thyme4giving@yahoo.com
and I will get your goodies out to you this week.
Congratulations to all of you,
and thank you to everyone who entered.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Color Harmony

2011-10-09T01:15:00.004-05:00

This year in my watercolor class,

our teacher Dolores

is teaching from the book

Watercolor Wisdom

by Jo Taylor, AWS.

For homework

we have to paint something using one of the

five color harmonies...analogous, triadic,

complementary,monochromatic or

split complementary.

So, I had fun with a little hummingbird.

I quickly painted these, just to try out

three different combinations.

The top is Triadic,

the left one on the bottom is complementary,

and the one on the right is monochromatic.

Let me know what you think of the colors.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Studio Stash Give Away

2011-10-08T02:16:00.029-05:00

No, I'm not giving away pumpkins, :)

but aren't they pretty.

I love seeing lots of them together.

Hope all of you are having a great October.

Recently Patricia over at

Artfully Ooglebloops

http://artfullyooglebloops.blogspot.com/

had a giveaway.

I received my package today...

Wow, I just love everything in it.

Thank you Patricia, so much.

I love the woven papers,

the words that came in the green striped box

and, and, and....well just all of it! :)

It's been awhile since I've had a giveaway here

at Inkspillers Attic.

Now it's time again!

Spirit, Strength, Feminity of Woman

2011-10-06T16:57:00.000-05:00

Spirit, Strength, Feminity of Woman

(16 in. by 20 in.)

is my submission for Week 30 at

Paint Party Friday

I love the use of stencils for background designs.

Real lace was used as a stencil for her veil.

I didn't paint her to look realistic,

but I was happy how she turned out.

Most of my mixed media pieces have a quote

or words added to them.

Is feminity a word?

Not sure about that one.

Contrast is also important.

Here the brick(ish) and wrought iron background,

vs. the lace veil and rose.

Hope you visit PPF because now

there are more than 60 blog participants

showing some very creative art pieces.

You can click on the PPF logo in my sidebar or

click on

http://paintpartyfriday.blogspot.com/

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

'Hug a Tree' earthy tea day

2011-10-04T03:01:00.010-05:00

Happy Tea on Tuesday everyone.

My sister Lanette gave me a package of

very earthy tea...

Zengranny's

Sage Gardens Berry Delicious Tea...

--hand blended and infused with intention--

The dried herbs are in fairly large pieces,

and the berries are dried and whole,

and it takes about 15 minutes to infuse.

It is not in separate tea bags.

Ingredients are:

blueberries, hibiscus, green tea,

lemongrass, rosehips, orange peel, spearmint and

yerba mate (which comes from a rainforest tree)

It also comes in an eco friendly package.

You can find zengranny products

from the Texas Hill Country at

http://www.zengranny.etsy.com/
You may be asking ...
What in the world is THAT in the photo?

More earthy things, that's what.

My tea is shown here with some earthy things

from my friend Karen.

The large long 'earthy' pod looking thing

came from a palm tree in the area.

The other two 'earthy things' came off of a tree stump,

and are a hard tree fungus

called 'artist conk'.

I enjoy the uniqueness, wonder, and beauty that

Mother Earth gives us.

AND...speaking of 'earthy'...

This is my friend Karen!
Isn't she cute hugging that tree!!!

Karen was visiting family in Seattle

when she felt compelled to have a conversation

with this wonderful tree

( yes, she is known to do this type of thing, and more of us should )

and then give it a big hug

(which has been shown to be good for your health).

She told me she has a

"love for the reaching to heaven giants,

sanctuary for lots of God's little creatures,

providers of oxygen to all living creatures."
I hope this inspires you all...

to go hug a tree!

I know what Karen will wonder after seeing this,
how come she is on the same post as fungus???? LOL
I love ya my friend!!!

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Destination inchie and quiz

2011-10-03T01:34:00.003-05:00

The United States is still the world's leading destination

for immigrants.

America now has 43 million foreign nationals,

more than any other country,

with a million more arriving every year.

Why?

Freedom--

--to worship

--from want

--from fear

--to create

How much do you know about America and immigration?

Take this interesting PBS quiz to find out...

http://www.pbs.org/destinationamerica/usim_qz.html

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Hand dyed and crayola fabric fun!

2011-09-29T12:41:00.000-05:00

I visited my cousin Paula last week,

so we could dye fabric together.

She is a very talented quilter,

and wanted to learn to dye fabric

to use in her quilts.

I'm not an expert by no means, but

I enjoy dyeing fabric myself.

First we mixed up different colors of

Procion MX dye

that we bought from Dharma Trading Co.

Each color made up almost a quart jar.

We were sure to label each one,

but with the warm water inside,

(which was used to dissolve the dye and the urea),

the labels kept coming off, so here we have

masking tape to try to keep the labels in place.

Otherwise you can not tell what the colors are.

Be sure and label everything!

Paula's workshop porch was a great space to dye fabric.

It kept us out of that hot Texas sun,

yet gave us a bit of a breeze.

She also had a sink inside, for water rinsing.

This is awashi shibori, or pole wrapping.

It is curing in the hot sun.

We wrapped plastic around it so it wouldn't dry out so quickly.

Smaller pieces we just placed in plastic zip lock bags to cure.

Here Paula is holding up one of the shibori pieces.

Here are some greens that are cured, rinsed,

and ready for the washing machine and dryer.

They didn't lose any more of their color when washing,

as we used one of those color catchers to find out.

A blue shibori piece done.

This piece was done by just mopping up dye that was in the bucket.

We didn't waste anything.

For this long narrow piece of fabric,

Paula started painting on the dye colors.

She was really getting the hang of it by then.

We used both muslin (pre-washed) and PFD fabric.

Below is what she did to it later after I left to come home.

She said some of the blue came out but it still looks good.

She used kids coloring books for the patterns,

and then colored it in with crayons,

and outlined with a fabric marker.

Great job Paula!

Can't wait to see the finished baby quilt

and other projects.

I have a feeling Paula will come up with some

very creative things in the future.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Many Small Pieces Make the Whole

2011-09-28T09:06:00.001-05:00

On Monday, Sept. 26th the opening reception for

the Fiber Art Society gallery show called,

Many Small Pieces Make the Whole, took place.

We had 30+ pieces to show,

including art quilts, baskets, fiber creations and more.

The show is taking place at the

Parkway Presbyterian Church

in Corpus Christi until October 20th.

I wanted to share a few of my favorites.

To see the pieces better please clilck on each photo to enlarge.

Cornelia Morgan made this large colorful art quilt called

L.O.L. (lots of love).

She made it for her grand niece.

Cornelia used designs from the wedding invitation.

Bali jelly roll strips were used to make the background

The piece hanging was made by Happy Jonas, our FAS president.

It is called Peaceful Conversation #1 World Ark.

She used decorator fabrics from sample books, plus cotton dyed fabric

and colorful threads.

It is one part of a diptych or possibly a triptych she told me.

The art doll above was made by Carlene Schleider.

It stands 20 inches and is made from cloth and wood beads for joints.

She calls this piece

Woman from Pibor, Sunday Morning

Below you can see my goddess tree art quilt called

Imagine Peace.

To see more of it click here.

http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2011/08/imagine-peace-painted-and-dyed-fabric.html

Beside it is a piece by Lisa B.,

and this piece just glowed under the lighting.

It is made from one inch square pieces of batik fabrics.

On the table above is another art doll and also

a fiber art basket made from wet felted wool.

The felted backet was made by Laura Davidson.

Laura also made this piece below.

It is called

Fibers Trail through New Mexico.

You can actually go to this site and find out more about the fiber art trails.

http://www.nmfiberarts.org/

Laura's piece was created using dried cholla cactus that she stained

and that she collected on the New Mexico hiking trails.

Laura did some weaving with various yarns, ribbons and fibers,

using the cholla as a frame.

I think the leaves are made from Angelina fibers.

This piece just sparkled and was very unique.

Another unique and beautiful piece

was made by Laura O.

Laura used quite a few different paper napkins

that she shredded and then reassembled into

"Sunshine and Flowers".

The paper was glued down on a muslin foundation

creating 'paper fabric'

and then free motion quilting and French knots were added.

She wrapped it around a canvas

to create a beautiful piece.

It sort of had a transparent look to it,

which I loved.

This final piece,

I'm sorry to say,

I can not remember who created it,

or what it was titled.

I loved it, and it was one of my favorites of all.

Every piece in the show was wonderfully creative.

All in all the reception was a great success,

with lots of people attending.

So congrats to all of you!

Savor the Day!

Yvonne