Alice is Out and About

What an amazing ATC group I belong to. This past month we made Frida Kahlo ATC's and she inspired everyone to create beautiful Frida's. This month we took rubber stamps with us to Starbucks and while we drank and talked we also stamped to our hearts content. I really wanted Judith to bring her Alice in Wonderland stamps so I could make a few projects with them. I came home and found a beautiful postcard someone had sent me and I could see Alice in the garden. This Alice theme came from the March -April, Somerset Studio mag. I already am thinking of what to do with the Queen of Hearts.

Challenge "Boo to You"

Third challenge.

I saw these little skeletons on the cover of CPS=cloth paper scissors, Sept/Oct 2009 edition. When I first saw the cover I really wasn't interested in the project ,even though the skeletons were cute, I didn't see myself making them because they were sewn and used felt. Then a couple of days ago I started thinking I had felt stashed some where and I love to embroider so I changed my mind and rounded up my old black felt and thread. I used the cover picture and copied it on my printer for a pattern. I have made these skeletons for some of my friends.

Tea for Three and Tea for Four

Saturday was our 5th Annual Progressive Tea Party. What a great day. We started off at Jan's house and her theme this year was Fantasy Trains. We had wonderful stuffed little red Potatoes, Stuffed cherry tomatoes, and artichoke Quiche, last but not least we had little sour cream tarts with apple. YUM.
We progressed to my house and my theme was Garden Forest, I served tomato Bisque soup for starters and watermelon and feta cheese salad with Balsamic vinegar. Then we had your typical cucumber sandwiches, chicken salad wrapped in lettuce and pumpkin bread sani's. I also served a glass of champagne mixed with ginger ale.
Colleen's house was decorated with her grandma's treasures. She started off her tea with the most wonderful rice pudding, then beautiful apricot-almond scones, last was our delicious shortbread.
The day started out perfect and ended perfect. Next year we may change the tea to something different. My mom's motor abilities are slowing going and it is harder for her to get around. We shall see.

Spring into Action

Today I had such an inspiration. I have decided to work through my Cloth-Paper-Scissors and Somerset Magazines. I have been collecting the magazines for a couple of years now and they each have around 20 projects in them. I will do a project every couple of days or maybe everyday, depending on the skill level and time involved. This way I will use new techniques and products. So far I have started making Glamour Girl ATC"s and Pamela Patterson Reinhardt lettering ATC's. The Glamour Girls are on-going and for when I get inspired by the day, holiday or weather, maybe even a book I'm reading or movie I have seen. The lettering I did on five ATC's for the people in my ATC group. I started out the lettering just to see if I could do it and decided to make an ATC for my friend Jan. That way I had a project to do the lettering on. Then after I finished the three letters of her name I thought I should do the first letter of my other ATC friends.
My glamour girls came about because of some Kelly Lish drawings I saw in Somerset Magazine at the time I went to the movies and saw "Alice in Wonderland". I call my ATC "The Wrong Alice", which is a line from the movie. What a fun movie and a fun thing to do some projects around. I know I will be doing more Alice in Wonderland projects because my friend bought the stamp set and is going to share them with the ATC group.

Strawberries, sweet friends and sunshine

What a beautiful day. The For-get-me-nots were blooming in the sun and the bleeding hearts were pretty in pink. My girlfriends came by and we had coffee, tea and chai and strawberry shortcake sitting out on the deck in the dappled sunshine. We talked and shared art projects and ideas. After eating we took a stroll down on the lower road through the woods. We saw lots of moss and triliums. A little mushroom was growing in the crook of a maple tree. The smell of the woods is damp and fresh at this time of year. We felt we were in a fairy forest or a very primordial forest. My girlfriend wrote an email this morning and said it was like a 2 hour vacation with a walk in the woods. I am so glad strawberries are back in season. We love them on cereal and salads, in smoothies and on cakes.

Where is the Sun, la, la,la ,la

Our place looks stunning right now. All the trees are glowing with water logged moss. The leaves are opening and we are getting shelter from the world in our little forest. Every morning I am serenaded awake by the birds. 15 years ago I planted For-Get-Me-Nots and they have spread all over the front yard along with the pink Bleeding Hearts. Our sugar peas are up about 6 inches and reaching for the sun that isn't in the sky. The lettuce has sprouted but very small still. We are hoping for sun in the next day or so.
Friday is book club day and I am really looking forward to it. I heard that Ken Follett's book "World Without End" is going to be one of the books offered for us to pick. I was on page 316 before I heard this bit of info so I stopped reading it until after Friday. Joe and I really enjoyed Ken F's first part of the story, the book "Pillars of the Earth". Ken tells a gripping tale that is hard to put down.
I read Sea Glass these past few days and I really enjoyed the story. I think Anita Shreve is a good story teller. The book was about the
1920's and 30's and the mill workers and the strikes put on by the unions and communists to get better wages and conditions for the factory workers. I wondered how it was going to end and I was surprised. It could have been 50 pages shorter. I find I feel that way about a lot of books lately. I don't know what that means. Either the writer has drawn out the ending or I have lost interest. Today because of all the rain I will need to find a small book to read until Friday (today is Wednesday)

What a day. Rain pouring like cats and dogs. Great day to read a good book or do some art. I have just finished making a tiny book for my Friday Kahlo ATC. The book is less then 1"x1" and has 6 Frida paintings in it. It has ended up that I have done each ATC differently. I am trying to find a style that is lush like Frida's life. I just keep adding things to them and waiting to feel the magic. I am so enthralled with Fridas life and "The Lacuna" is a fun way to read about her life and the political climate at the time. Only 100 pages to go and looking forward to the next book I have on the book shelf. That's funny since I have hundreds of books on the selves to read.