Artful Journey

 A snowy Saturday with record 24 hour snowfall of 22 inches was the perfect day to catch up on some card making. It all started with a snowflake! A variety of cards and a variety of techniques  I was trying to catch up on some mail exchanges and made great progress. I love these stamps from Spellbinders. I experimented with alcohol inks a while back. I couldn’t figure out how to use the results but I kept the sheets in my stash. It made the perfect wintry background. I also played around with color layering of paper which is great color wheel practice. Some navy and white paper for die cuts, watercolor practice and some brush and pointed pen calligraphy and I was almost finished. While I was enjoying myself with art, Eugene and Eoghan tackled the snow removal. The snowblower helped  The kids bought Eugene a snowblower almost 5 years ago. At the time he didn’t think he needed it, but he has grown to love it! Our neighbors refer to it as the gift that keeps on giving. I tho...

Happy New Year after a month long hiatus of frigid temperatures warmed by the arrival of holiday mail and Christmas celebrations, my happiest mail arrived in person... Onz and Deets hand delivered their Christmas card to us. Onz and Deets arrived and stayed for most of December, much to everyone's delight here.  I'm just left wondering why time flies when you are having fun?  They definitely make life fun, so the time went by in a blink. Icy cold weather with sub zero wind chills provided a great reason to stay inside and do some baking. One of Onz's favorites is making and decorating sugar cookies, and she has it down to a science. I always learn a new technique or two from her, and the results taste as good as they look.  Before we enjoyed them with a cup of tea, I made an envelope to coordinate with a US postage stamp featuring sugar cookies and our own cookie creation. They really are good enough to eat! And last but not least, the absolute best pa...

November's PTE exchange brings Autumn and Thanksgiving to mind.  I didn't have any Rooster stamps, which I thought could have been a cute idea..maybe next year. Instead I used the food stamps in homage to the bounty of Thanksgiving. I coordinated the lettering to the color of the stamp and added some Autumn flowers. While PTE is an envelope exchange, I  like to include a note. Here I have stamped an image (from Simon Says Stamp) using my Tim Holtz stamp positioner.  This is similar to a Misti, but less expensive. I learned about this product from Eileen, the Artful Crafter, and I love it.  I am able to achieve better results and use some interesting techniques. PTE Exchange Thankful for the chance to be creative More matching postage stamp to lettering colors I picked up this card at Hallmark....oh how I love that store! and I really love the sentiment. "If the world had more people like you, we'd all be saying that you a lot more often"  I feel tru...

Mild weather means putting some bulbs in the ground. It is  65 ° outside, so perfect for a little gardening.  Into the soil they went,  8 virichic tulips (late spring), 5 double late Dream touch (late spring), 20 large cupped Narcissus (mid spring) and leading the charge, wildflower mix tulips (early spring). They are nestled in. If you plant them, they will come.... And if you write me, I promise to write back. Though I must admit, my letter writing list is getting longer! And did I mention I love it!! Big props to my penpal Janet for introducing me to  Art Cover Exchange , which "promotes art, philately, friendship and correspondence among its members" I have already gotten some great mail and been introduced to some really interesting people. Through the mail slot! I really can't wait to see what the mailman brings every day! And of course, I have to reciprocate, so I have added that to Pushing the Envelope Exchange with Jean Wilson. That was my first ...

A very windy Monday, maybe that will help some of my Halloween mail get carried along... sugar skull I thought I wouldn't have much use for the eclipse stamps after August, but they are great for Halloween. Witches brew, with eyeball of Newt Of course the pumpkin stamps are great...and I am a lover of whimsy, so.. Time to unwrap a Reese's The wind is howling outside my window, and the temperatures are dropping, and trees down. My lilac tree took a hit There is one small section of my lilac tree still standing. Hopefully it will survive. Waiting to see what happens with a few small blooms. Autumn rose And we will see if this skeleton manages to hold on tight.. and hopefully the dragon won't take flight... until after Halloween night! Happy hallow's eve..Happy Monday!

Hello, watercolor.  It's been a while since I pulled out my watercolors. I forgot how much fun it is. Watercolor hi Bittersweet  vines remind me of fall, and so does this tiny little leaf I found on my walk this morning. Some of the mail I have received include 2 great ones from Jean. black and white fun lettering This was black and white when I received it, which I loved. I had it sitting on my desk for a while, and decided I would color it in. I think it looks great both ways, and plan on using her design on an envelope in the future. What is the formula here? Not sure, but an awesome idea. I loved how unique this envelope is. Jean always has some fabulous ideas; this one will take some time and effort to copy...so, it will be a while before I am up for the challenge. Hands down, these are the best stamps I ever received on an envelope! If it is possible to absolutely love postage stamps, then I absolutely love these.    Letters mingle souls is the...

A little mail...outgoing Wonder woman stamps How great are those stamps? I think they were release to coincide with the movie release. A quick design included the Wonder woman logo and the lasso of truth. Eclipse stamp For Troy, I made an envelope, in order to have a black backround to match the stamp, copied the layout idea from an envelope I received. I put washi tape around the border. the silver stars sparkle with glitter. Flower and butterfly stamp We have done a few day trips and have seen some lovely gardens, lots of color which attracts butterflies. Color, butterflies, flowers and the postage stamp were the inspiration for this piece.  Wishing you some happy mail in your mail box!

The total solar eclipse...didn't see it, wasn't on the right path...partial solar, would have liked to see it, no glasses left. Tried the strategy of looking down on the ground to see the reflection through the trees, no luck there...took a 2 second glance, but seemed too bright...a dare devil I am not! but I will be happy with my solar eclipse stamp mail... solar eclipse mail The kraft envelope is from Troy as part of the PTE exchange.  Hard to tell from my photo, but the teal dots are metalllic ink, super luminous. The white and pink envelope is from my penpal Janet. She told me if you put your finger on the black dot and remove it, you will see the moon.  Yes! it's true.  A little bit of moon magic there. And for a little more magic, a snail mail letter, including a new recipe from a snail mail blogging friend. love her card! It's always lovely to see Karen's creativity, and even nicer to receive a card from her in the mail. May the moon shin...

Last week was a hectic one for me, and I am hoping to get out from under it soon. Today's rain may help with completing some of the projects on tap, with the added benefit of keeping my lawn well watered. While last week was busy, we managed to include a few good things, including breakfast at the oldest tea house in America. sign at The Wenham Tea House We made it a point to visit the Sand Sculpting Contest at Revere Beach. Absolutely amazing! Just a sampling... The professional sand sculptors travel from all over the world to compete in this weekend event. Their work is awe inspiring! Although extremely crowded, it was well worth it, especially considering today's constant rain.  I am so happy we had the opportunity to view this magnificent, temporary art. Sand Sculpture Contest Handling grains of Sand Sculptures created, magic Then, suddenly, gone. And finally delivered, PTE exchange, from Jean  More great ideas to try. H...

Thank goodness for envelope exchanges, it means something artistic and fun arrives in the mail! fun mail from Kate I really loved the stlye and colors on this, so I copied it on one of my envelopes for the exchange. Forgot to cover the address, so I will just show the return side back flap I used Kate's lettering style but did flowers instead of fruit.  In addition to the lovely letters coming through the mail slot, I love being introduced to new ideas to try. Also, on my agenda is figuring out how to blur an address for future posts. New postage stamps also trigger learning. The new solar eclipse stamp has been released to coincide with the Great American Eclipse on August 21, 2017. The band will pass trough the contiguous US in a 70 mile stretch moving from west to east. Massachusetts won't have the full total eclipse, but we will get a partial  sometime between 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. You would need a special attachment for a telescope to view a solar eclipse saf...

Busy weekend, with not much time for mail...Just a letter or two to go out.. Blue bird of happiness for Susan and lilies for Honore.. While I need to get on my own letter writing, I just finished a great little book about a relationship that developed through letters exchanged. Charming! I am in the process of reading Writing with Quiet Hands,  so I find myself looking at books in terms of criteria that Paula recommends for writers. This book flowed so easily, and had characters that I was totally engaged in. When I finished this book, I thought, I hope she does a sequel. I read this book as I took the train in and out of Boston, and couldn't wait to finish it...so that's what I did. File it under my weekend read! Gift from Eog he knows where my heart is.. The garden is still in progress, but I love all of the color that is starting to pop... Snap dragons and vinca Hydrangea lilies  Sexy Rexy What a name, but it is beautiful! Wishing y...