T Stands For Legends (again)

I've brought you to Legends before, which is in the Hyatt at the Airport, but they are going through a complete remodel after the restaurant was purchased by a new company last year.

The last time we ate at the buffet, the price was $14.00.  I was glad to see the price has dropped a bit.  I was also hoping the food quality had improved, too.

You can see these prices are geared for the traveler staying at the hotel, but the buffet has always been a good choice for my foodie buddy Sally and me.  We were told by our server that the "Chef's Choice" would always be Mexican until the restaurant was completely remodeled.

I got both water and coffee, because it (and iced tea) came with the meal.  Apparently, I couldn't find a place to lay my purse, because it was sticking out like a sore thumb in this photo.  Sally already had her salad, but I was busy taking photos.

I pigged out on salad and those cheesy muffins.  I think I had three total!!!

Then I went directly for the flan dessert which I love, but is so time consuming to make (trust me, I know).  I went back a second time for that, too.

Sally's first buffet plate included a chicken and beef fajita, a meat tortilla, and beans and rice.  I grabbed some beans and rice, but preferred the salads, muffins, and flan, which filled me quite well.

Now it's time to share your drink related post this week.  It can be photos, a place you visited, movies, postcards, books, sketches, mixed media, drawings, paintings, tags, scrapbooking, or other art that is digital, hybrid, or traditional, as long as it in some way relates back to a drink, any drink. Regardless, please share below and Bleubeard and I, along with the rest of the T gang will be by to visit.  Old photos are acceptable because they may be taken at any time, and don't even have to be taken this year!

I Bless the Rain

Once I get my office cleaned, sorted, and organized, which could be up to a month at the rate I'm going, I hope to work more often on my 7 continents altered book.  Having said that, I took a couple of hours off yesterday to create this piece that will go in the Africa section of my altered book which I've worked on since late 2003.

I originally created this page for Yvonne of Meggy's Way who is hosting Art Journal Journey this month with her theme Colo(u)r in my World.  Then I realized this spread could also qualify for Try it on Tuesday with their latest challenge of My Friend (which today was animals).

These friends are watching out for each other.  Both are alert and ready for action.  The bright pink, mixed with the orange create the backdrop for these friends, as well as showing the title of the piece.

This adorable guy is searching for his friend.  The shell compliments the background color of the hot, dry desert we associate with Africa.

Mother and child are definitely friends.  It is well known these animals remain very close throughout their lifetime, and can be heard mourning upon the death of a loved one.  They don't want to be separated, either.

For this spread, I began with a used file folder I colored using water soluble crayons, the Christmas gift from my friend Cindy that just keeps on giving.  I blended the colors together in spots, but apparently covered up most of the background I spent so much time on, and was so proud of.  I sewed the three animal images to vintage sheet music using variegated thread, then added the three shells and the computer generated words to the song Africa made famous by Toto.

If I did it correctly, here is the song in its entirety:

Please join me once again at Try it on Tuesday and Art Journal Journey (or you may click the links on my right sidebar).  Thanks also for joining me down on the Serengeti and enduring the heat of Africa today.

Rust Is My Friend!

I've been slowly working my way through my office, where I've kept all my art and swaps up to this point.   I can't believe how long it's been since I completed the International swap with five other friends: Dianne in Ohio, Norma in California, Valerie in Germany, Chris in England, and Annette in Scotland.  I created three rust inspired spreads for my own altered book, and needed one more.  You can see the first three here.

Yesterday I realized I still had not put the pages I received, or my pages I created, into a 3-ring folder, as I said I would.  So I got out my 3 hole punch and went to town punching and punching.  Afterwards, I created this piece I call "Rust Is My Friend."

As the title implies, I'm once again joining Try it on Tuesday with their latest challenge of My Friend (which can include human, animal, imaginary, even rust).  But rust is also a color.  Corrosive, perhaps, but a color none-the-less.  That's why I including it with Yvonne's chosen theme of Colo(u)r in my World at Art Journal Journey.

I love the rusty goodness of this piece, but the metal lid was so dimensional, it took three thick sheets of pop dots to raise the little boy off the background.

I had to let everyone know that rust is my friend.  The irony of this is, as I was assembling this, I saw the date and the fact today is also Sunday.  Purely coincidental, but fun to find.

I punched holes in the lid using a large nail.

I then wove heavy wire through the lid and onto the assembly.

Besides using glue, I also sewed the ends of the wire

into a rusted wet wipe (thin wet wipes are not to be confused with thicker baby wipes).  Both the wet wipe and the paper underneath had been rusted, hopefully adding to the dimension I was looking for.

For this piece, I began with card stock, added handmade paper, book paper, and a wet wipe I rusted.  I then added the metal lid, rusty wire, and sewed everything in place.  Finally, I added the words I hand wrote using a gellyroll pen, and placed the little boy on the lid.

Please join me today at Try it on Tuesday and Art Journal Journey (or you may click the links on my right sidebar).  And thank you for visiting today.  It means everything to me that you would check out my art on your day of rest.

Sisters at Sunset

I realize I'm a tad late arriving at the party,

but I want to join Moo-Mania & More for their Sunset challenge.

I'm also joining Try it on Tuesday with their latest challenge of My Friend (which can include human, animal, imaginary, practically anything, I suspect).

In case you can't read it,

Best friends and sisters Mary and Mildred
walk on the beach at sunset.

I apologize, but the lighting is very difficult tonight (yes, I just finished this).

Mary looks a lot happier to be on this beach than Mildred.  And I should have made the sandpaper look more like a beach and less like a sand dune!

Of course, this piece wouldn't be complete unless I added it to Yvonne's chosen theme of Colo(u)r in my World at Art Journal Journey.  Today's colors are obviously inspired by a sunset.

Materials used include a used file folder, various acrylic paints, a TH paper doll, sandpaper, and computer generated text printed on PINK copier/printer paper.  If you weren't here yesterday, I found an entire ream of pink paper and I'm desperately trying to use it, even though it's my least favorite color.


Please join me at Moo-Mania & More, Try it on Tuesday, and Art Journal Journey (or click the links on my right sidebar).  And thank you for visiting today.  It means the world to me.

Paris, Paris, Paris

Can anyone truthfully say they can be tired of Paris?  I know I certainly can't.  Therefore I'm once again joining Wendy who is hosting Tag Tuesday this fortnight with her theme Paris.  I thought I would provide a few step-out photos of how I created my Parisian tag.

I began with a purchased tag (for a change), a pallet knife, and gesso.

After removing the string, I applied a thick layer of some very runny gesso.   I was hoping for something a little older, but had to use what I had on hand.

After allowing the gesso to partially dry naturally, I used a heat gun to provide the texture I was hoping for.  If you want paint or gesso to bubble and crack, wait a few minutes for a very slight skin to form on at least part of the paint or gesso, then apply the heat gun.  This is basically what I was going for because it reminded me of the walls of some of the houses I've seen in French photos.

Using my fingers, I colored the tag with a blue pan pastel.  I chose blue because it is one of the colors of the French flag. 

I had wanted to use some Paris inspired washi tape ever since I won some beautiful gifts from Gaby.  The gifts were wrapped in beautiful paper and washi tape. 

I printed and fussy cut this flower filled shoe that I colored using water-soluble red and white crayons gifted me by Cindy last Christmas.   I know you're going to ask why I am using so much pink in my art, even though it is one of my least favorite colors.  The answer is, as I'm slowly cleaning my office, I found a ream (500 sheets) of pink printer/copier paper.  So the color pink is here to stay.


Materials used to create this piece include gesso, pan pastel, washi tape, variegated thread, and a fussy cut design I had stored on my computer.

Of  course, I also wanted to once again join Yvonne of Meggy's Way who is hosting Art Journal Journey this month with her chosen theme of Colo(u)r in my World.

My world today is quite colorful, but once again, points to Paris.

Starting with the right side, I have more washi tape, also gifted me by Cindy. I sewed more pink across the back of both pages, which will not sit side by side once it's added to my scrappy journal.  The quote:

I love Paris in the springtime.
I love Paris in the fall.

 Obviously, it was written by an American, because autumn is the preferred word for "fall" by many in other countries, as it is with me, too.  Although Ella Fitzgerald and many other famous artists sang it first, including Charlie Parker, apparently Frank Sinatra put the song, written by Cole Porter and published in 1953, on the map.  It was a song from the movie Can-Can and on the album Come Fly With Me.

More of Cindy's wonderful gifted washi tape was added to the bottom of the right page.

For the left side, I included

April in Paris,
Oh how I love thee

Written in 1932 by Vernon Duke and Yip Harburg for the musical Walk a Little Faster, Count Basie and Sammy Davis Jr. were the most popular artists to record it.

I couldn't stop there, though.  I added even more washi tape I received at Christmas from Cindy.

For this spread, I began with patterned scrapbook paper, added pink printer paper, computer generated lyrics on orange printer/copier paper from two Paris inspired songs, washi tape, and a computer generated copy of a French ledger sheet I colored using red pan pastel.

Please follow these links to Tag Tuesday and Art Journal Journey (or click the visual links on my right sidebar).  And thank you for your thoughtful visit today as we once again visit Paris.