Summer strawberries!

Here's a shot of a portion of my flower garden, the beds are the spokes of a half wheel, with gravel paths between. I love watching all the birds come down & eat a bit & have a little drink. I found the miniature "wind wizard" at the county transfer station....it was a kit in a box like a giant tinkertoy & was made in the 1950's right here in the US of A, not in China. I LOVE the transfer station, they have a salvage building full of discarded treasures & I have found some wonderful things.....that will be for another post, though!

The view is to the SW, the other side of the Clearwater River canyon. We live about a 1000 feet above the river and we're on the "sunny side" of the canyon!




And here are some berries....oh my, I wish you could taste them...they're tart & sweet at the same time!! We've been feasting on them for a few weeks now but strawberry season is winding down....but then come the cherries, raspberries, & currants...it's a feast for the eyes & the palate!

Gotta tell y'all about it!!!

Tell you all about KC Willis & her studio retreats!!! She is such a talented lady and nice......let me tell you, she is the sweetest!!!!!

She's started offering multiday studio workshops at her new studio in Longmont, CO. They all sound wonderful & best of all, you'll be learning mixed media from one of the finest & that's guaranteed!!!

I put a badge on the left side of my blog or just click on this link & you'll be whisked away to a magical land of opportunity!!! http://studioretreats.ning.com/

And while you're there, check out her Collage Camp & Mixed Media on-line workshops, they are such fun & jam-packed with great information. And for a little fun, click on her HGTV movie link, what a poised & articulate artist she is!!!

Time is flying....& I am dragging my feet!!!

Can't believe two months has passed since I last posted. And since that time, I have officially become a year older....I certainly am enjoying my time but am a bit dismayed that I find myself on the short side of the hill!!!

So, on with some artsy stuff!

Have to add details later :D

A wonderful surprise from over the ocean!!!!

I received the most wonderful package from my dear friend Dawn Gold...we did a little "not so secret sister swap" and as you can see...she spoiled me royally!!!

This is the lid of the box that she altered, using modeling paste and paint along with gorgeous images, flowers, and the nicest "friend" phrase!!!

Here is a close-up of the lid......oh my, it is so gorgeous!!!!

And then, she made a little "best friend" canvas and sent a little easel along with it....I am truly honored!!!


Here's a pic of my cat Christmas waving "hi" to Dawn...hehehe!!!

Here are some of the goodies she included....beautiful buttons, charms, embellishments, pretty feather, & ephemera!!!


More goodies....ribbons & trims, pearls, a beautiful old dictionary with that gorgeous image on the front, little blocks, gorgeous flocked paper, and a dream dangly!!


And even more....a wonderful chipboard book box filled with wooden spools, eggs, and all sorts of buttons, charms, & brads!!!


Wonderful rub-ons, Laura Ashley embellishments, & lovely ribbons & fibers!!!

Thank you, dear Dawn, this has been a real treat....you have really spoiled me...I love it all and will treasure your artwork!!!

Hi girls!!!

Thank you Sarah, Judy, Joanne, & Peggy for leaving such nice comments!!! I have been having a ball making art & ordering seeds for my garden...I definitely have Spring fever!!!!

Well, actually those rocks are the shattered bits of my kidney stone.....they are probably more expensive then gold, ounce for ounce LOL!!!! And certainly more painful!!! Well, I'm sorry to tease but I couldn't resist!!!

And here I am posting again and it's only the 1st week of March, will wonders never cease!!!

Catching up!!!

Pshewwww! What a busy month February has been!!! I'm thrilled that I am able to post before the month ends!

Here is a pile of my pages for a Spring-theme 5x7 chunky book that I'm playing in on the Paper Whimsy Forum! It's hosted by Joan Lawrence & it promises to be a fabulous book!

This is a pic of my page, a better representation of the colors than the preceding pic! I added a different flower & a bit of pink velvet trim to each page.

There's a new challenge beginning on the Paper Whimsy Forum....every two weeks, a new poem by the child poet Hilda Conkling will be offered for interpretation, along with a downloadable collage sheet by the fabulous Gale Blair of Paper Whimsy!

This should be a lot of fun & I'm really going to try and keep up with it!!!

Here are my first two pages; they will be 6x6 and I will be putting the poem on a separate page.

I'm participating in a house page exchange....here are both sides of the page that I created for the lovely Frieda Oxenham!

This is the last set of pages that I've completed for an 8x8 themed altered journal project. These were created for Linda Eustace; her theme was "Silver Belle". I chose to use Lina Cavalieri as my belle, she was a famous opera star & beauty of her time!

Here is a pic of the new moon over the mountains from my front deck; the rising sun in the background!

This is the fabulous Valentine that was created by Sarah Drayton for an exchange on the Paper Whimsy forum...I love all the pink & lace!

This is the Valentine's Day card that my friend Mary & her sweet daughter Eva sent to me, along with a box full of gifties! Isn't that the sweetest thing!!! I love being called Mrs. Cat...hehehehe!

My dear friend Doreen Cosenzas sent me this beautiful bracelet that she made for me, along with this gorgeous tag...I really love the turquoise & silver and it's a perfect fit!!! She is so talented, I'm lucky to have her as a friend!!!

Thank you again, Doreen!!!

And last, but not least (by a long shot!) is a pic of my new rock collection....go ahead, guess what this really is....hehehehe!

Bye for now!!!!

a year of color...pink!

Think pink!!!

I'm playing in an exchange with the year of color group and my partner's favorite color is PINK!

I like pink too, so I had a lot of fun gathering together special little bits & bobs to share with her!

A pretty teacup & saucer adorned with pink roses and filled with a pink vintage crochet piece & a pretty pink flower. And in keeping with Valentine's Day, there is a small white porcelain "love" charm hung on a strand of pink silk ribbon.

A special "love" Valentine's Day card with a vintage pink heart & some silver embellishment!

Isn't this cut glass heart pretty? It's a little vintage piece filled with 3 pink wishes & some tiny paper hearts.

And here are her glittery pink initials to grace the place of her choice when they arrive at her home.

Hope you enjoyed my tableaux......