Artful Journey

Usually my family refers to me as Annie Upper or Pollyanna. They love to tell me that I think it's all sunshine and roses. I must admit I am a glass full type of person. Yesterday was one of those days, where someone took my glass of water, spit in it, and then smashed it to the floor. Now, I am also a person who wears my ❤️ on my sleeve, and a poker face is something I will never master. Well, alarm bells went out that Mom seems sad. Daisies are such a happy flower. It wasn't too long before my son showed up with a bouquet of  flowers as a pick me up.  Last night, Fi and Nish took me to Beauty and the Beast, totally a mood lifter. That inspired my instagram post today. Beauty and the Beast. Art makes me happy! Today, Onz called from London, saying we needed to do an exercise video together on what's app. I followed that up with one of my favorite treats, a Russell Stover whipped strawberry egg. A walk with a good friend, who had an extra recycle barrel...

T stands for tea...no matter what you might hear about the Irish, the real beverage of choice is Tea! Growing up in an Irish household left absolutely no question about the limitless powers of a cup of tea. If you were in Ireland, the choice was Barry's or Punjama, here in America, Lipton tea was the only option. The first question upon entering the house was, will you have a cup of tea? Mind you, the kettle was on before you had a chance to answer. Tea Caddy I painted for mom and dad. And with the tea came conversation and laughs, and a mental challenge, checkers or some other board game, or maybe cards (25 or gin rummy), suduko, or a crossword puzzle.  I learned early that there was a competitive streak running through my family.  We took no prisoners, and my parents were the most ruthless of all. Simple pleasures shared, and my mom's favorite mug. A sharp pencil was always close at hand. We were in it to win it.  Today I will tell you I hold a silver medal,...

Ever since I was little, I loved mail, and this is something I have passed on to the next generation. There is always a mad rush to the door when we hear the mail slot click open. There is something exciting about the possibilities of what will be waiting when you pick up that pile of mail. Sometimes the best it has to offer is a catalog to peruse, but other times, Joy! an actual handwritten note. This was a really fun one I received from Janet as part of the Pushing the Envelope exchange.  I placed a Dove chocolate on the envelope, something else I love, that is also meant to be savored and enjoyed. Like the Dove wrapper, you open it, and there is a message. In addition to getting mail, I found out a little of the history of triangle letters. In WWII, Russian soldiers sent triangle letters and they were delivered anywhere in Russia for free. Pretty cool. Janet has also visited the Clark Museum in western Massachusetts.  I have added that to my bucket list! Janet's Triangle...

Happy Birthday Card It's been a while since I have made a card. Matchthesketch.blogspot.com has a weekly challenge, and Pushing the envelope exchange included birthdates in the March swap. Viola, the perfect opportunity to combine the two. in the mail. Now to eat some cake! Always a good idea.

This week I had a fantastic visit with my long time friend CJ.  We normally art skype, but we've done a few field trips too! This time, our visit was at her house. Since she is in central Massachusetts and I am north of Boston, visits like this are at a premium. This get together was packed with all sorts of fun stuff and conversation. We started with a deep dish pizza at Uno's...what's not to love? Then it was back to her house to play with essential oils. CJ brought an assortment of oils, and let me pick my favorites. After much deliberation, I settled on a mix of bergamot and eucalyptus for a hand sanitizer spray. We made the sanitizer spray with oils, distilled water and Vodka. My pressies My hand sanitizer was coming home with me, along with a handcrocheted bag filled with goodies and a cleaning solution made with essential oils. After this, came the hard work! Of course, having a lovely table set with fine china, cloth placemats, vanilla chai tea, and italian...

I love books...and the cover art on this one left me feeling good all day!

St. Patrick's Day. A good place to start...With the luck of the Irish.  Slainte