Another Anniversay

I don't know about you but it sure seems like this past year has just flown by! Here I am, celebrating another anniversary! For the past few years Quinn and I have taken a few days around the end of August and headed to Cannon Beach, Oregon to spend a little quiet time together. The Oregon coast is so beautiful! We love walking on the beach, watching the seagulls and picking up sand dollars. There's something very peaceful and soothing about this stretch of coast...I don't know if it's the huge sea stacks or just the beauty of the water and the mountains but I always feel refreshed and revived after spending time here.

Tag Challenge

I had a chance today to visit with some of my online friends and while I was doing a little blog hopping I came across this challenge on Louise's Kard Krazy blog. I love making tags...so quick and easy and useful too! The challenge for this week is to include a " trio of something" on a tag. I had just looked at this photo with its "trio" of sisters (courtesy of The Vintage Moth) and thought it would be perfect for this challenge. So, here's my tag. Be sure to stop by and see all the lovely art work on Louise's blog.

Salvage Studio Art Party

Don't you just LOVE fun mail? Look what arrived...a reminder about the Art Party in September held by Beth and Lisa at the Salvage Studio! There's still time (I think) to sign up and join us. I love that sweet altered poker chip! I know it's just a small hint at all the wonderful goodies Beth and Lisa have in store for us...can't wait!

Red Lead Artful Holiday ATC Swap

The latest ATC swap on the Red Lead group is called Artful Holidays. You could choose from Christmas, Halloween, Spring/Easter or Valentine's Day...one or a combination...and make a set of ATC's to trade. Chris and Sharon are planning the first ever Red Lead ZINE and some of ATCs created for this swap with be featured in it. How fun is that?! And, if that's not enough...one lucky swapper will be chosen at random to win a $100 Red Lead gift certificate...woohoo! Here are my ATC's for the swap. I thought I was going to do a combination of holidays but once I got started I just got into the Christmas spirit and couldn't stop!

A Few ATCs

My poor blog has been so neglected lately! I think I have to attribute my lack of artistic energy to the weather...we've had some ridiculously hot temperatures this summer. Too hot to even create art! One of the few things I have been doing is making ATCs so I thought I'd add a few here. The first one was made for an online friend who turned 50. Sue (another online friend) decided she would surprise Renee and have everyone make an atc to celebrate the occasion...isn't that a fun thing to do? What a pal! The next two were created for swaps...one at Alpha Stamps and the other with my favorite Lunch Ladies. What have you been up to lately?

Chotski Pins

Instead of a charm swap this month on the Red Lead group we're trading "chotski" pins. Chris and Sharon sell the blank pins in their online shop here. I played with so many different combinations...it took me forever to decide which five things to add to the pin...but this is what I came up with. Grace joined me in the swap so I've included her pin here too...isn't it lovely?

Flower Seeds

I love the illustrations on old flower seed packs. I found these at a garage sale recently...aren't they pretty? They were in the free box. I imagine that's because they say "packed for the 1965 growing season." I'm not sure the seeds would still be good but the packets are in great shape. Feel free to use them...I think they'd make wonderful atc backgrounds!

More Charms

Our ATC group decided to add a little twist to our monthly card swap in June...charms! Each of us made enough charms to swap with each other and an extra one that Beth will make into a necklace to donate to a local charity. It was so much fun seeing what everyone had created. Jo made a fabric purse charm, exquisite in its tiny details. Nadine made a lovely stamped shrink plastic charm with wire work and pearls. Lyneen made a wonderful stacked button charm. Grace added her original water color bird paintings to round discs to create gorgeous pendant charms. Christina made a beautiful charm using shells and beads. Miki made a stunning beaded dangle. Kris treated us to the tiniest of pottery cups and Cathy charmed us all with one of her amazing beveled glass soldered charms. For the last few months we've had the pleasure of meeting at Echo Artworks...Beth's bead (and so much more) shop in Bremerton. Beth is a multi-talented, creative artist who's (along with her pup Pixie) been our gracious hostess. She made an enameled copper ring for each of us...so pretty! She's also offered to take the charms and make them into a necklace or bracelet for us...I can't wait to see how these will turn out! Have a look at our charms....

Independence Day

America the Beautiful
Words by Katharine Lee Bates

O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet

Whose stern impassioned stress

A thoroughfare for freedom beat

Across the wilderness!

America! America!

God mend thine every flaw,

Confirm thy soul in self-control,

Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved

In liberating strife.

Who more than self the country loved

And mercy more than life!

America! America!

May God thy gold refine

Till all success be nobleness

And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for halcyon skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the enameled plain!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

Till souls wax fair as earth and air

And music-hearted sea!

O beautiful for pilgrims feet,

Whose stem impassioned stress

A thoroughfare for freedom beat

Across the wilderness!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

Till paths be wrought through

wilds of thought

By pilgrim foot and knee!

O beautiful for glory-tale

Of liberating strife

When once and twice,

for man's avail

Men lavished precious life!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

Till selfish gain no longer stain

The banner of the free!

O beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

Till nobler men keep once again

Thy whiter jubilee!

Have a happy and safe 4th!

Altered Boggle Board

I love to find old Boggle games when I'm out thrifting because the letters are so much fun to use. I usually end up throwing away the rest of the game but this time as I was looking at the black gridded board it just called out to me to alter it. I had just finished another project and still had snippets of images and other bits and pieces on my craft table so I just decided to see what they'd look like arranged in the board. Here's the result...this was a fun and quick project and if I get tired of these images I can always change them out. I've used stamps and left over images from Red Lead collage sheets, a Tangie Baxter Artspiration Board, buttons, game pieces, an old watch face and a picture of my sweet mom (crowned, as she well deserves) and even an inchie from one of the lunch ladies...thank you Jo! So, the next time you're thinking of throwing something away....take another look!

Cloth, Paper, Scissors Charm Swap

In the latest issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors there's a small teaser about the charm swap they announced earlier in the year. Well, the charms have all been swapped out...over 2000(!) of them and I've received mine. You know how I love to collect charms and these are wonderful additions to my collection! We each sent in up to five charms and would receive that many in return. The 6th charm below is from Michele Goodson...she had received one of my charms in the swap and wanted to have a second one so she could make them into earrings. She asked if I would be willing to trade another one of my charms for one of her gorgeous shrink plastic fishies. Isn't it wonderful? I can't wait for the next issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors to read the full article and to see more of the charms!

Crowabout #39

Here's my collage using the images provided by Nancy for the Collage Play with Crowabout group. I used the images for a journal page. I've also posted the page of images so you can see what we had to work with. I'm really enjoying these challenges...it's a little different for me and always interesting. The group makes some fantastic art...stop by and take a look!

A Swap for All Seasons

This year's "A Swap for All Seasons" ended with a Vintage Swimwear Tag Book. Linda put together a beautiful book with 16 tags depicting several eras of vintage swimwear - everything from modest Victorians to 60's surfer girls in itsy bitsy, teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikinis! This has been such a fun year swapping with this group...four swaps, one for each season. Linda has said she plans to start all over again with the fall swap. She'll announce the first swap on August first. Why don't you come join us!

Happy Birthday to Q!

Today is Quinn's birthday...just look at that sweet face - he hasn't changed much...especially the haircut! Happy Birthday!

"I've spent my life following things I cannot see
And just when I catch up to them, they slip away from me.
I've been down a thousand trails I've never walked before
I found out that without fail, they lead me to your door
And the world keeps turning round and round
It leaves me hanging in the air.
My heart keeps turning upside down
But you're still standin' there."

...compliments of Steve Earle

Happy Father's Day

We've just now returned from our trip to Crater Lake...a lovely week with no phones, TVs or computers! I've got lots of unpacking and catching up to do but I just had stop in and say Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful dads out there. My own sweet Q deserves a medal for spending the past week with three wild women...we love you!