Herodotus said...

I couldn't resist this quote by 5th century BC Greek historian, Herodotus when I was at our local materials exchange center for community arts (MECCA for short). For the mixed media artist, it is the ultimate candy store. Today was a rummage sale and I tried really hard to stay focused, really I did!

So when the Featured Stamper was announced on Splitcoast tonight, her circle window card was just the ticket to use the Kolette Hall image. I stamped it with VersaColor Black and embossed it with bronze ep. The papers are from Memory Box 'Twilight' paper group.

I feel very blessed to have friends all over the world. I remember a family member telling me if I could count 5 steadfast friends I would be fortunate indeed. Well, I know my tried and true friends and they are prized above any earthy goods. Friends can enjoy the silence between one another and know in that space is wealth. It is wonderful to fall back into place after a long absence of a dear friend. Just knowing someone is out there holding you up in prayer is comfort indeed.

And I made a new friend this week...a cyber gal, whom I discovered lives less than 3 miles from me. We met for breakfast and were delighted to discover we share a love of paper crafting. I can't wait to see where this friendship grows!

Crystal Chandelier...

I am happy I had a chance to case the Featured Stamper of the week over on SCS. I love going back in my memories to recall happy times when life was lived at a slower pace. My grandparents had a Georgian Colonial built just for them in 1935. And the dining room was the heart of the home. It had big bold cabbage rose wallpaper for a time and then toile. You could enter it from either the breakfast room which had corner cabinets for storing her collection of Franciscan 'Ivy' or directly off the living room with a double wide opening. I can almost hear the laughter round the table.

My grandmother finally got her crystal chandelier in 1946. It was much like the one you see. It had silver trim, chain and candle cups. It always hung over the handsome solid cherry table. I remember her carefully washing the crystals in hot sudsy dishwater in her PINK kitchen. My grandparents moved three times and each time the chandelier was moved with them. She loved having family get-togethers, dinner parties and turn the wall sconces down low and light the tapers. I was always enchanted by the effect of the flickering candles on the crystals and people. To this day, I accent every room in my home with different types of light.

It's Sunday, be blessed today and always.

an artist cannot fail

I hope you are all enjoying a blissful Sunday afternoon...I finally got to create and just had to honor SCS'es (is that a word) Featured Stamper Stamp Muse. M is kind, encouraging, and generous of our creative community! It was a thrill to see her selected.

The card I designed features photographs my son, Sam and I took last week in our garden. I had never seen a zebra patterned dragonfly until we spotted (ha, ha) this one on one of the water features. With Sam being 6'3" I had him photograph the one of the wing span and I managed to get the front shot in between gusts of wind. The dragonfly had a most interesting technique for keeping balanced. Other details about this card are Basic Grey Lime Rickey Catawba Flip paper, Papertrey Ink New Leaf, and B Line Design quote inked with ColorBox Dragonfly black ink.

It's a gorgeous day here in the PNW...low '80's, light winds. Hope the sun is shining on you or moonshine!

I wish I may, I wish I might

It's Sunday and time for the Featured Stamper over on SCS. A day to be challenged by a new style. This week Beth picked Sparkplug17. And when I saw Sparkles' Eiffel Cupcake, I knew I wanted to case this elegant card. My cupcake is of the "Costco" variety, enough cake for 3! And the tower is scaled to fit, courtesy of Oxford Impressions! I added French Script for flair and a black paisley panel for texture.

I was fortunate to visit Paris for the first time as a 16 year old with stars in my eyes and romance in my heart. I got to dine in the tower, having my first escargot presented with clarified butter and garlic...I thought I was so very sophisticated! No one from my home town had ever eaten snails...of that I am certain. But nowadays, just give me the cupcake!

Hope your day is a lovely one...

for my chandelier lovin' friend

When I checked today's featured stampers gallery, I couldn't help but zero in on her gorgeous chandelier card to case.   I'm long overdue sending a thank you to my personal enabler (oops, I meant friend).   We've traded chandelier cards back and forth and will finally get to met in person at the end of this month!!!  I hope you like it, Amy.   I thank you for your generous RAK...hoping the muse returns and I'll swing open wide those doors. 

Have a blessed Sunday and I'd love to hear how your sweeties were good to you!  My DH treated me to a pedicure and dinner at our favorite bar-b-que joint (and it is a joint]!  We celebrated 22 years and are still in love, that comfortable, dependable, deep love. 

puttin on the spritz

Happy Sunday, hope wherever you are, it's been a day for relaxing and connecting with family and friends. I can't help but think what a thoroughly modern family we are...youngest son texting oldest who is away on a retreat and connecting on facebook while the home phone rings and Dad's on his laptop...only our cat appears relaxed!!! In fact, she doesn't have a care in the world. I mean, she's warm and cozy snuggled in her favorite chair in our family room. I think I need to go pet the cat...

Who would be thoroughly agitated by my card for the Featured Stamper on SCS today...yep, she'd be in high gear chasing the mouses!  I had a lot of fun creating this card, even with all the layers.  If you'd like more specifics, have a look at my commentary in the gallery here!

Have a great day, no matter what finds you!

sovereign

I am so excited and happy for my friend, Vicky Gould chosen as the Featured Stamper on SCS. I imagine there will be an overloaded gallery from all her friends!  My card for the His Holy Names Challenge fit right in with casing this one of Vicky's. If you would like to read more specific details on how I created this 6x6 page, please drop by my gallery.

I really enjoyed this weeks study on the word sovereign. There are over 290 scriptures that mention the Sovereign Lord in the Bible. I chose two that really spoke to my life, one from the Psalms that acknowledges just who my confidence is in.  And the other from the prophet Amos, a very telling word of a famine coming where the hearing of the words of the Lord will fall on deaf ears.  I truly believe we live in a time such as this where all rationally has disappeared.  I know the Lord warns to write HIS words on your heart and indeed a day will come where there will be no Bibles or a way to read the word of GOD. 

The LORD has a supreme place of authority in my life.  In my work for challenge 2, I chose to place the word 'sovereign' on a spring green paper.  It represents the growth of my relationship with GOD. I used Basic Grey's Perhaps paper. The butterfly reminds me of how it begins life as something less than beautiful, at least in my eyes, and over time is transformed into a creature of great beauty, delicate, transparent, frail, but strong to lift it's wings in flight. To be free to live life in that perfect balance only God could create. I know I'm feeling a bit frail right now, but I'll rest in the hand of the one who created me, for I will soar again, I know I will.

I'm wishing for you today, eyes to spy something of wonder, delicate, yet strong and I hope you'll marvel at the majesty of God's creatures!  Thanks for hanging with me...big smile, well in my mind!!!!

pearl[s] of wisdom

Happy New Years, dear readers, I pray your new year will be filled with blessings of health and happiness.  I know I am looking forward to what life brings and the opportunities I will seize!

Today's challenge over on SCS is the Featured Stamper.  It is a day to recognize one stamper by perusing their gallery and creating a card in honor of the FS.  For the first challenge of 2009, it's none other than HER Royal Rubberness, Julie Ebersole!  Here is my card based on one you can find in this link.  

 I am reading a delightful book called, Path of the Pearl, which you can find at Amazon.    I 'happened' upon it at my favorite bookstore last weekend.  I knew there would be words of encouragement within for me.  Little did I know, I would need the words of wisdom contained therein so soon.  I received some disappointing news this week that I know has a deep life lesson within.  We all are such shells on the outside, looking pretty, but if we look inside, would we be truly be happy with what we see?  I know being a girl and not playing sports ( I am of that era when the opportunities for girls was not in sports), I never learned to accept losing gracefully and even really how to face rejection.  But I need to learn that lesson, even at this stage in my life.

Pearls are created as a result of an intrusion, an injury, an irritant.  How the oyster deals with this was of great interest to me.  Fellini said, " All art is autobiographical. The pearl is the oyster's autobiography".  Something so beautiful coming from an injury.  And with me...I will take rejection and let it coat me with a layer of  nacre.  So I can grow and have more depth and be on the inside what I am on the outside.

As the author of the Path of the Pearl writes, "Like the pearl, our splendor is formed of life's obstacles."  How about you?  Can you see the beauty you truly are?