It's Tea Party Time

It's Time For The Party!!!

In honor of Miss Vanessa's 200th post, we are having our own party here in the Star City.

Five year old Susie is hostess and she is using her very finest china.

Yes, this is the tea set Little Miss Susie had when she was a little girl, the very same one that she left chocolate milk in until, who knows when and... well you probably know the rest of that tale. Today she has set her table with misty pastel colored glass and hand made party favors. Even though she is usually bright and colorful, today she is in a soft and romantic mood.

She invited a sweet and lovely friend

This is Miss Kitty and she cannot decide which china shoes to wear. They had been stored away for many, many years. They are even older than the tea set and since they don't have mates, Miss Kitty thinks she will wear them as a pair of "designer" pumps.

Our party is outside on the veranda and it seems to be getting a bit warm, and as we don't want to get misty, we will lift our cobalt blue glass and offer a toast to Miss Vanessa and say congratulations on her wonderful blog that everyone loves so much and ask her to pop over to our party before it gets too hot and muggy, as it sometimes does in the Sweet, Sweet South this time of year.

So we are toasting you My Dear, in hopes that you will continue to fill our days with color and lovely friends and handsome knights (Mr. Lovey didn't think we would forget him, did he?) and give us joy even when you have troubles... like floods and pulled tendons and such. Please know that we love you and are so glad we are your friends.

Thank you all for coming to our party and no, no, no...you cannot help put away the dishes...




This happy hostess wants to know you had fun and were relaxed and wants you to have a great, great weekend and enjoy your friends and loved ones and give them plenty of hugs and kisses. That's what parties are all about. So until we meet again, I'll wave goodbye as I take in the party things and prepare for the next exciting thing that comes our way. Who knows what it may be, but it will be wonderful because our lives together are always wonderful.

Hugs and kisses to you all!!!

The world's ugliest wallpaper???

"Do you think I can strip this wallpaper?"

This is how the conversation started, so DH very easily picked off a little piece of our bathroom wallpaper and I decided that I could strip the paper. I went online and found out what I needed to do and I did it! The paper came of like a dream. I then soaked the paper backing and it came off like you wouldn't believe. Then I cleaned the glue remnants from the wall and now it is ready to prime and paint. In fact, that's just what DH is doing, now that he has replaced the exhaust fan, the vanity lights, the mirror, put in one of the two new wall cabinets. Oh, yes, he is also priming and painting the vanity cabinet. Man, he is something else.

This what he did last week.


I told you he was in the zone and wanted to stay busy! That's his hand to the left of this shot, brushing on deck sealant. I did let him take a break and go play music this past weekend, so I hope I'm not too much of a tyrant!

While he was playing music, I went to my meeting of the Altered Artists and we learned to solder. I had tried several times in the past and thought I was doing something wrong because I wasn't that pleased with the results. I know now, that I was doing it correctly, it just takes time and practice and you have to treat your soldering tip with care. I have been using an old soldering iron that hubs had and boy was it contrary. I decided to try soldering with my wood burning tool and am having much better luck. Here is a shot of my work table, yikes...I know your table doesn't look like this.



Well, that's it for now. I hope to be back soon with more pictures of the "new" bathroom. Till then, take care and keep doing your art!

And the giveaway winner is.........

A Pocketful of Prettys!!!!!! Yay, Renea is the name picked randomly, with eyes closed, by my sweet hubby. She will be receiving the paper casting mold and I just know she will love it. Thanks to all of my great friends that sent me sweet comments and thanks again for reading my crazy little blog.

I am sorry that I had to wait so long to pick the winner, but we have had major remodeling work going on at our house. Hubs has replaced all the baseboard, painted several rooms, and de-constructed a really funky (read yucky) built-in shelving unit. He has patched, painted, and caulked. He removed all our old carpet and moon-walked (picture the lunar landing, not Michael Jackson) around the entire house, finding squeaks and fixing them. He has dragged and pushed and toted furniture, with very little help from me. (I seem to pull when I should push). I was able to keep us in good food and treats and clean clothes, while pretty much living out of the kitchen and the garage.

The carpet installers finished up yesterday and it was so worth it! The only thing now is, DH has been so busy getting ready, that now he can't seem to stop. Well, I guess I'll just have to have plenty of projects for him to do.

It will take some time to get everything back the way we want it. I plan on doing some serious downsizing in the art room. I already have a shoebox of goodies to take to the library this weekend for our art group (I hope someone can use some extra stuff). I was able to still find time to make some new jewelry and do some mixed media pieces while the remodeling was going on and am looking forward to getting back in the groove. I will be posting pictures soon of some new stuff, so be ready.

Well, keep on keeping on, folks and remember to make time to do the things you love. Maybe it's not art, maybe it's poetry or music or dancing or designing or gaming. Just know it's ok to take time to do your thing. I know I try to make time for these things. I certainly expect my darling hubby to, so I must expect the same from all of you. Just don't let it get to you. If it does, walk away and come back later.

No pressure, because we know art is easy. Why, it's so easy, it's just...

A Walk In The Park

100th post giveaway

Here I am saying hello to all my friends. I hope this finds you well and not suffering too much in this heat.

Since I have been blogging, I have noticed that in blog land the 100th post is a milestone of sorts. I have so enjoyed posting. It's scary, sometimes, putting yourself out there on the information highway. Not knowing who is stepping into your world... you open your door just a bit, to look out into this new land. I think being cautious is a good thing sometimes, but you can't be scared of all new things, either. So, I did a little research (mostly starting with Tricia's blog) and decided blogging was something I really wanted to try. I started my blog in November and I have enjoyed it immensely. There have been times when I wasn't sure of what I was doing, but I muddled through it. I gained confidence from reading the blogs and visiting sites suggested by your blogs. I even started an Etsy shop. I actually sold one of my pillow dolls (Thanks, Jenn), and have added handmade jewelry to my shop.

I probably would not have done any of this without the support of my friends. Friends that I can hug in person, and friends that I send hugs via the Web. As a thank you for allowing me to be a part of your lives, I am having a little giveaway.

One of my recent posts was about paper casting. My first attempts at this wonderfully fun art were well received and the encouragement that I got from everyone has prompted me to make paper casting my very first giveaway.


After playing with paper pulp and wet facial tissue, and learning several techniques, I decided to make a paper casting mold using polymer clay and rubber stamps. I used three relatively inexpensive, generic holiday rubber stamps, but the results were fabulous. I pressed the rubber stamps into hand conditioned clay. I baked the clay according to manufacturer's instructions, allowing for the fact that my toaster oven is a little on the "hot" side. After making my cast, the easy way, with tissues, I let it dry, removed it and sprayed it lightly with matte sealer.

This mold and the resulting cast really have to be seen in person to be appreciated. For this reason, I am offering the mold and the single cast made from it, as my giveaway. To be included in the giveaway, please leave me a comment. By either mentioning the giveaway, or posting one of your favorite art, sewing or craft tips you will be included.

I hope you like this little giveaway- and once again, I want to say thanks to everyone that reads my blog. I love reading yours and hopefully will continue blogging for quite some time.

So basically, drop me a comment and you're entered. I'll keep you updated on the drawing and the winner. Until then, take care and we'll talk soon.

New Photos

Hey there folks, I want to share a few photos of our art gallery this past Saturday. We did make a few changes from our show in the spring. Instead of doing demos, we had Make-it, Take-it sessions going on at several tables. I made wire butterflies, the other artists did origami, altoid tins, and handmade books. Everyone stayed busy, and I think all the library patrons that wanted to, took several finished pieces back with them.

We, also added a new category, this time, called "of Goth and Strange", and here is a shot of that display...


It turned out pretty yummy, after all. It was a stretch for some of the group to come up with something of this sort, but we all did ok.

Here is a shot of several displays, just to give you an idea of their size....

There were also some nice fabric pieces that were being shown. Fabric art, dolls and quilts....




If I had to pick a favorite display, it would be the Collage Display. In, what I think is an unusual twist, the Collages were almost all portraits...


I hope Marnie doesn't mind me showing this next one. I think she told me this is her first attempt at painting a face. It is so beautiful. I am touched by it for a reason I just can't seem to describe. See what you think....


The next shots are of our weather last night. We had the warning beeping, and blinking and flashing across the television...




So, since I am trying out my black and white setting on my camera, I stepped out on the deck and took this. Not as spectacular as I had hoped, but I like it anyway...


Here is the color version of the same sky, it's pretty cool, also. I love storms, but you have to use good judgment. I didn't stay out too long after this...

We actually got very little, if any, rain. It went around us, but wow, those treetops were swirling around and the clouds were moving quickly. It was pretty awesome.

Well, that's all for now. I hope to have something else for you later . Have a great rest of the week and try to remember to take care of yourself, as well as your loved ones. Talk soon.