Snuggle Bug

I like making AND receiving handmade cards…

How about YOU?!

I made this card for my husband’s birthday recently:

The holidays are not always easy…

Snuggle someone you love today, even if they bug you a little!

Happy Wednesday AND Thanksgiving to those who celebrate!

Cheers! 🙂

A Season For…

December is a season for…

Holiday celebrations with family and friends near,

A bouquet of flowers with reds and greens from my dear,

It’s a season of giving and sharing good cheer,

And saying, thank you, to YOU, my blogging friends this time of year!

Wishing you ALL a very Merry Everything!! 

Cheers! 🙂

Her Heart Overflowed

Her heart overflowed with love…

She felt grateful for this gift…

So she gave it away freely!

I think LOVE is a gift that I can give away “freely”…  How about you?

And the funny thing about this gift, the more I give it away, the MORE I get in return!

Cheers! 🙂

The Power Of Touch

I do not believe we can ever understand the depth of love…

And the power of touch!

I started my two hands in watercolor last week, if you recall:

And added the finishing “touches” in ink over the weekend.

Two people who “touched” my life with love recently passed.  One a family member and the other the mother of a friend.  Both ladies were 95 years old.

It has made me think more about how others touch my life and how I have the power to touch others with love.

Cheers! 🙂

Two Love Birds…

Love was in the air recently when I was at the lake…

These two love birds were inspired by several hummingbirds that were “pursuing” each other during “Happy Hour” when I had gathered to share an appetizer and a glass of wine with several friends.  The hummingbirds had their own “Party Punch,” otherwise known as sugar water (nectar) to dine on…

And the hummers zipped and dipped and buzzed by us with glee!  It was quite the love affair. Lol!

Wishing you a happy weird bird Wednesday…

Cheers! 🙂

A Milestone…

I read an article from our local newspaper yesterday about a mom whose son recently graduated from high school.  No big deal, right?  Happens all the time…

Upon further reading, I learned that her son was born with a hole in his diaphragm and the doctors only gave him a 50/50 chance to survive.  While he was in the hospital Neonatal ICU, struggling for every breath, this new mother placed two fingers on his laboring chest and whispered, please.  When he exhaled, she whispered, thank you.  

In the weeks that followed as her son grew healthy and strong with no lingering complications, each breath seemed like a miracle.  This mom continued her prayer ritual of whispering, please when her son inhaled and thank you when he exhaled.  Faced with the fragility of life, each year became a milestone to celebrate with her son!

This story reminds me of taking the time to say, thank you to people who I appreciate in my life.  Sometimes it is good to recognize the milestones that are big and small…

I made the above card for a friend recently.  I was inspired by these beautiful pink roses:

I thought you might like to learn how I made it.  🙂

I discovered that sea sponges make great roses!  Just dab a damp sponge lightly in acrylic paint  and twist your wrist as you apply the paint to paper.  Adding several colors, gives it some depth.  And a few splatters of watercolor gives it pizzazz!

My lettering came from an idea in this book from Joanne Sharpe.  I used a permanent black Micron pen.

One doesn’t have to have a milestone to say, thank you; who do you know that would appreciate getting a handmade card in the mail?

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads this weekend…

Cheers! 🙂

The Spring Sandwich Puff

Since Mother’s Day is this weekend, I decided to create today’s weird bird in memory of ALL mothers – birds and humans! 😉

Lunches and Brunches…

Recipes old and new,

I “cooked” up this bird…

In memory of you! ❤️

Happy Mother’s Day!

Cheers! 🙂

February’s Square Project

Perhaps you remember, January’s Square Project?  I am adding a section of paper collaged squares and circles each month to complete a challenge I made for myself.

Well, I had to add a little stitching to January’s section with my sewing machine, not sure that it helps but it was super fun to stitch on paper:

February’s section is less busy… phew! 😉

I used two methods I learned from Carla Sonheim’s 365 class, the scraping paint technique and text collage.  I like to take her instructions as a starting point and then take them a step further to make them my own.

Below are my notes in my art journal (please excuse the chicken scratch and word misspellings):

My completed section for February:

I think it looks so pretty, how about you?

What I liked about February’s experiments:

I haven’t had much time to pursue creating fabrics with my designs… life has been busy.  I still want to do this but looks like it will be later in the year.

I am excited to see what ideas will inspire me for March.

Cheers! 🙂

Plum Good!

Last week, I was given a box of  lemon plums from a friend.  He is out-of-town and gets a monthly delivery of fruit from Harry and David.

I loved the plum’s yellow color but I knew they weren’t ripe yet.  When I opened the box yesterday, I was surprised to see a lovely blushing pink color!  Oh, so beautiful!!

So I decided to make a pie!  I found a recipe and decided to give it a try… (I don’t make many pies…)

Which reminded me a little of my Weird Bird I made for my hubby’s Valentine last week; below are the “ingredients”:

I numbered the back of each collage piece and wrote a short message.  It was fun to mix the pieces together in an envelope for hubby to open and complete a bird:

 

It reminded me of making this pie yesterday…

Sometimes the finished piece is as fun as mixing the ingredients together…

I hope your day is plum good! 

Cheers! 🙂

Sonnet 43

How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways…

Today’s weird bird was inspired by Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnet 43:

In the book, Finding The Gift by Angela Howell, she writes; “Be the love you wish to receive…  Love you!  Love your life exactly as it is right now.  Happiness is an inside job!”

How do you love YOU?

Happy Valentine’s Day to someone special – YOU!

Cheers! 🙂