merry christmas

merry christmas & happy holiday wishes to all......

peace, love, blessings, thanks, wishes, heart, friends, family, hope, faith, play, home, healing, security, joy, play...... inspiring thoughts in no particular order!


we had the first of several family gatherings yesterday.....

snow queen!

family fun!

waiting!

finishing touches!

dinner!

inspiration avenue weekly challenge.... peaches & cream

i've been sick this week so i originally was gonna opt out of submitting an entry for this week's challenge. first i thought i had one of the nasty flus but i don't think so now. i never had a fever & i think i've recovered too quickly for the flu. oh well... i almost wish it had been to get it over with but now i still can look forward to it! joy!

my lovely husband brought me a bouquet of flowers to cheer me & what do you know... there were some beautiful "peachy" roses.

so first i made a card....

i've been wanting to learn how to use photoshop elements & so i got out my new book ... "for dummies" & played around with some of the filters.  i really love the watercolor one....

so then i was "inspired" to take it a little further & i attached it to a canvas board & added some gel medium for texture....

there is so much talent on inspiration avenue so pop on over & see this week's entries....

photo of the week.....wall art

 

there's a little nearby town where i frequently go to hang out with my camera.  there's a beach & a few downtown streets full of wall art. jessica rogers does a weekly photo submission where members of the poe & polaroid teams submit a photo taken that week.  it's lots of fun & we totally appreciate her hard work.  go on over to her blog & take a look at this weeks' entries.  you can see the tile art she's been doing too.... beautiful work!

sss...shadow shot sunday

 

image through my window.... thanks hey harriet for sponsoring sss....tis lots of fun!

inspiration avenue weekly challenge.... french

oh wow! this week just flew!  it's saturday night & i  realized i haven't worked on a project for this week's challenge... well i first thought i would sit this one out but nah! can't do it! i'm a team player so i just have to think a little harder & work fast! i thought & i thought & then i looked through some vintage beads thinking i might whip up a pair of french-esque earrings.  couldn't pull it off.  so then i scrolled through my photos i took when i visited france last year.  i had an idea that might work. it was not too difficult, didn't take much time but i tried to be inspired so i think it counts!

a happy moment....

i had a great day yesterday! my home was filled with family & friends, lots of great food, tantalizing aromas &  laughter.  i scanned some old family photos &  printed off copies for everyone.  this photo made me smile! my nephew jordan who is now 24, always filled the room with joy when he laughed.  he put his whole body & soul into each outburst.  no matter where he was when he laughed, people would turn toward him & couldn't help but smile. they were happy moments & this memory was one too!

thanksgiving

i'm getting ready for the BIG day....  thanksgiving is always such a special time in our home.  my husband loves to cook (i don't but i do help).  he cooks, i clean up.  being italian, my husband always make a huge dish of lasagna along with the turkey or ham.  it's the hit of the dinner & there's always enough for people to take home a doggie bag.  he started the list & i've started the house cleaning...yuck!  we've got 11 family members coming this year.  it'll be the first time we'll all get to sit around our cool new harvest table (with various mismatched chairs).  i always get excited with all the prep & knowing we're going to have such great fun.

this year i am sad though. my daughter is not going to be here.  she moved across the country in may & this will be our first thanksgiving without her. it seems a little weird.  she is my best buddy. we've always been really close & neither of us ever expected this move.  the plan was that she would grow up, get married, have my grandkids & build a house on our property.  i would always be part of her daily life. her boyfriend's job was relocated to texas & she had to follow. they've been together since high school & all through college.  they'll  be getting married. she loves her man but she is not happy that she's so far from home.she wants the best of both worlds.  i'm so proud of her diligence & ability to adapt. she teaches first grade, has found a church she loves, & is making grown up decisions. instead of seeing her face,  i have become her commuting partner.  we talk on the phone every morning & night as she makes her hour drive.

it's sometimes difficult for me to remember that my little baby, my gift from God is all grown up.  we get these blessings but it's so easy to take ownership.  she's mine... we had these plans.... she's been part of me for so long.  literally seeing her beautiful face almost every day for 24 years.

 i didn't see this coming.  like i said... we had plans.

 

today i was reminded that we can make all the plans we want but we live out God's plan.  i needed that little push to get me back to remembering just what i am thankful for.  i am truly thankful that i was given this gift to nurture, to teach, to love. she is living out God's plan, her plan & mine.  she's a beautiful person....she's kind, gentle, caring, thoughtful, & giving.  i will always have that in my heart no matter how far away she is.

so... i'm gonna get myself psyched & throw myself into the day when i will have joy with my family despite the little ache in my heart. & i will patiently wait for december 19th when she arrives for a 10 day visit.  a blessing indeed!

shadow shot sunday....getting ready for the holidays

 

ahhh the joys of daylight savings time!  it was one of those weeks at work when i had to stay late almost every day & hardly got to see the sun at all!  today, i started to do a little holiday decorating. i pulled this little guy out of hiding, plopped him on a shelf, & what do you know....a shadow!

romance......inspiration avenue weekly challenge

i love the challenge each week to come up with a project to submit to inspiration avenue. i chuckle when i think about all of us working like crafty little beavers throughout the week.  it is such a delight to see what has inspired the other artists & really look forward to seeing all the submissions.

this is a photo of wall art located in a nearby town......

 i did a little cropping & sepia tone......

a little more cropping, printed it on moab matte photo paper & added some surface chalks.....

voila..... a delightful "romance" card!

rug up.....

i realized i haven't posted any of my treasuries lately so here are a
few of  my most recent....
                                                          

                                           "black forest cuk"

this one was inspired by a gift from my husband....  
he brought home a cuckoo clock to go in our newly
remodeled "library".  i've never seen a real live "cuckoo"
& he is adorable!

 

                                       "friday favorites"

"hop to it"                                                               

                                          "visions of hope"
                                                                   
                     and this one can be found here until 11/22 10:00am

 

"rug up"

this is part of a trilogy of the same title done with my etsy for animals friends annette and pey.  both of these warm & caring ladies are parents to rescue rabbits & are running raffles to raise money to help the needy buns.

you can visit annette's blog & check out her raffle to raise funds for the rabbit & guinea pig welfare  in england.  pey has selflessly donated a piece of "charlie" art to raise funds for the buckeye house rabbit society. 

to see more of our fun trilogies you can visit our blog of collective treasuries - "in the making""!

happy friday!!!!!

jessica rogers.... photo of the week

 bridge.......


i have a particular fondness for things old....the more rust, dings, & evidence of use the better.  i like the old, worn condition of the bridge with the fading, almost barren end of fall look contrasted with the sparkling reflective blue water. pretty cool, huh?

                                                                                         

cinnamon & rust......inspiration avenue weekly art challenge

i am blessed.  i have a house.  it sits on land that includes about 7 acres of woods.  if you're looking for me i usually can be found there with my camera.  sometimes i also have my husband & my dogs along. i can wander & explore all seasons of the year.. that's what so cool about the woods.  for the last two months the air is blazing with vivid reds, yellows, & oranges.  soon the trees will be bare which is just as beautiful as then you can see the art in the branchs & trunks.  then there will be the fresh & pure snow & oh that is just gorgeous!  watching the first buds pop is just so amazing & i feel so alive!  then comes summer with the newness of the full, lush greens. 

like i said.... i am blessed!

this week i found my entry for the inspiration avenue weekly challenge.  it is cinnamon & rust!!!

 that's spanky!

shadow shot sunday.......

a long time ago, people with severe mental illness were almost exclusively locked up in state hospitals. thankfully times have changed & most people are able to live freely & successfully in communities with social & mental health supports.  i am a psychiatric nurse & understand that people with mental illness are just like you & me.  they have hopes & dreams.  they feel happy, sad, angry & hurt.  most are not any more violent than a person without mental illness. the other day i was attending a training for work on the grounds where one of these state hospitals existed.  during lunch, i took a walk around the grounds & came upon this graveyard.  i was saddened by the thought that so many people lived without the right to freedom & died  lonely.  these graves represent the lost, unclaimed souls. 

 

tracy is a talented photographer who runs a weekly collage of shadow shots on her blog every sunday.  she takes cool pictures too! 

photo of the week.....a childs' view

i frequently go to a beach that's located on the long island ny sound. it's a fantastic place to take photographs.  sometimes i see the seagulls, or people walking their dogs.  i've experienced breath taking sunsets & stormy seas.  this week i spent some time on the playground.  my entry for jessica rogers photo of the week is a small portion of a tiled mural done by 4th graders.  it was refreshing to view the world from their eyes.

trouble.....

poor thing!  all dogs should be worry free!  their parents do enough for the both of them!!!!!

pink flowers.... a treat for myself today

pay it forward! blog giveaway

from here

i will make a handmade gift for the first 3 interested people who comment on this post. i have 365 days to do it in. what it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise!


the catch is that you must participate as well:  you must have a blog and before you leave your comment here, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. just cut and paste this one if you like, which i did.
 
 ***change the from "here" link above to now link to my blog on your new post.

let's have some fun & bless somebody with a nice little present.... pat

inspiration avenue weekly challenge: frosty

when i saw the challenge this week was "frosty" i was pretty excited.  it's been getting pretty cold at night so i thought i'd be able to get an early morning shot.  well that didn't work out cause every morning i was running late for work so didn't have time to stop to take any pictures.  i switched gears & was going to shoot the butter cream frosting on the carrot cupcake a coworker brought in for lunch.  i ran out to my car to get my camera & when i returned....she had already eaten it!  then i thought i'd capture the top of a friends root beer but before i could get set up, she sucked the foam off the top!  oh no .....so now my wheels are spinning....

every year at this time, i pull out all kinds of craft supplies & start making little holiday treats.  nestled in between these soldered microscope slides is my "frosty".  he started out life as a xmas card a few years back and now he's all ready to bring holiday cheer to a tree or on a cool gift.  he can be tucked anywhere there's need for a little slice of  winter or season delight!  saved by the snowman!!!

shadow shot sunday

since i recently joined the photographers on etsy team, i started checking out other team members blogs.  i love looking at photos & thought it would be a good way to get to know the people behind the cameras. i found hey harriet & she puts together some really cool collages of shadows.  sometimes the shadows in my photos are intentional & sometimes not.  the red window contrasted against the yellow building was what i was going for, however i found the shadows are pretty cool too.

photo of the week......sunset

my entry for the photo of the week was taken just before dusk on a nearby beach. jessica rogers hosts a challenge where she will post a photo each week from anyone on the photographers on etsy or the polaroid teams who wishes to participate.  no theme, the only requirement is to submit a photo taken during that week.  i usually take my camera every time i leave home.  this day, i was on my way to run some errands & had gotten about 2 miles from home, realized i forgot my camera & turned around to get it.  i'm glad i did.  i spent about an hour just hanging out absorbing the serenity of the sunset & the emergence of dusk. we only get pink skies maybe once or twice a month so i'm grateful i turned around.   the sky was gorgeous!

thank you jessica for hosting such an inspiring challenge!

meal time at pat's house....

 i'd rather do almost anything else than cook.  if it weren't for my husband who provides me with daily meals, my sustanance would be cereal & butterscoth krimpets.  don't get me wrong... i do absolutely appreciate a good meal but only when it's prepared by someone else!

i'm not sure how it happened but i have become my guys chef!  i certainly didn't volunteer & i would have flunked an audition.  lucy & spanky expect me to feed them every morning & every night.  they don't ask my husband...just me!  first thing every morning  i stumble down the stairs & before my eyes are all the way open or have a chance to hit the coffee machine button...they are jumping & barking all over me. 

now lucy is on a diet because she's a 30 pound lhasa who eats everything (even inedible items) and they have separate rooms, special foods & different dinnerware.  lucy's food is measured & goes in the white bowl.  spanky has to have his veggies stirred in the blue bowl or he'll just sit there & look at me.  they eat in 2 different rooms because lucy gobbles like a maniac while spanky relaxes & savors his morsels. lucy will go  beg from her brother when she's done (in one minute flat) so i play referee!

this morning, spanky was done in one minute flat whille lucy was still gobbling.  this was so unusual so i asked spanky if he ate everything so lucy would't get a second helping.  he didn't respond so i went & checked.  lo & behold... the white bowl was empty & lucy was grinning up to me from the blue bowl!  my husband & i started our day with the biggest laugh!!!! 

treasuries of days past.....fire!

i try to save all of my treasuries....so being the treasury addict that i am....my closet is packed!  every once in a while i need a fix so i pop open my folder & there they are...just waiting!  i'm a visual person & just love to look & look. i also dream, fantasize & yes ... i'm in my glory when i can buy!

i have a tremendous appreciation for all the etsy talent i see.  i've taken an oath... i will always look at etsy first before buying a gift!  with such a variety of handmade goods, there is always something to find!

inspiration avenue weekly challenge: ghostly....

my "ghostly" inspiration for the week!

inspiration avenue