My February calendar pages

I got this ready last night because I plan to take this book with me to California today. This is the full spread, showing a bunch of tumbling hearts. You know why they are tumbling if you read my blog on a regular basis.

Since I will probably be gone before Mr. Linky goes up on Kate's blog, I hope someone will add my link. And for the second month in a row, I want to thank Kate at The Kathryn Wheel for featuring these calendar pages each month.


Here is the left side all filled in. I decided to place the year on the left this month for a bit if diversion.


This is the right side. You can enlarge these pages in order to read the individual entries, if you like. Thankfully, it didn't take half a month to get the courage to show these two pages like it did my January pages.


And to be sure I am ready for my trip, you can see the above pages are for March, although you may need a magnifying glass to read the month and year.

And just like February, I decided to wait to see how the month of March develops before I add any embellishments or images. And maybe by the end of March, I will have my basement studio back, which also means access to my images and other art supplies.

Silent Sunday has been suspended this week

I normally show photos that need no explanation on Sunday. But this week, I am actually not going to be silent.


These photos were taken over the Christmas holiday at my friend Scott's parents house. The above photo is of Scott and his father.

And here is Scott's father taking a picture of me taking a picture of him.


Scott and I had planned to drive to southern California in his car, but after talking to his dad, his dad decided he wanted to take his truck, drop us off in Santa Monica, and drive to northern California to visit relatives.


I'm sure I'll do my fair share of driving on the way to our destination, and I'll be driving Joseph's car once I get there. Hopefully, I'll have a way to put a few things on my blog, but if not, I'll have a few scheduled (planned) posts that will pop up during the week.

Stay safe, warm, and dry. Have an awesome week and make something that is meaningful to you.

Quotes tip-ins and Stash swaps as promised

I am trying to get all these photos off my cameras before I leave for California. So here are some photos of what both swaps looked like before I opened them. The two in the middle are from Halle and me. We were the only two in both swaps. You can see some of my ribbon peeking out of my envelope.

On the left is the Quotes swap, on the right is the Stash swap. Sorry, Jan. I thought I had photos of both swaps, but that doesn't seem to be the case. And the stash swap is packed away, still unopened until I return home.

A photo of the Quotes tells it all. This is before I made any exchanges. The following tip-ins are in alphabetical order according to first name, and I didn't have time to get each person's blog address, but I know a few will let me know they were here.


This is Amy's awesome elephant. I love her art and the elephant's texture is incredible.


I removed Amy's tag from the envelope. It says it all. Amy has beautiful and unique hand writing. And look at that awesome background, too.


Halle started with a white washed background on the front, then added the humor she is well known for. Add to that a stamp that covers both corners.


The back of Halle's tip-in is a bit more serious. The blue background compliments the flower stem. The flower is made from book pages and is complimented by a button.


Liz's lovely piece began with Dr. Seuss. The cat was stitched on the cotton, then red "pinked" fabric was sewn over the white. The cat is unbelievable and oh so well sewn.


Liz continued the Dr. Seuss theme on the back, this time with red and white fabric. Liz is a seamstress and her art reflects that so well.


Marilyn M. began with a pocket that was filled with a quote on a tag. The pocket is beautifully textured paper. The people on the front are young and surrounded by dimensional stars.


For the backs, Marilyn used rick rack and photos of elderly people. Don't these two look happy?


Marilyn W. K. made each tip-in different. This was something new to me because I'm used to all swap items being the same. I didn't even notice the one I had until a few minutes ago, when I was scanning them. I did realize they were all different, but tried not to pay any attention to them as I passed them out. The front of Marilyn's has a cute house with a heart and flowers adorning it. Marilyn has awesome handwriting.


This is Marilyn's back. I'm almost positive she hand drew this side, too. I'm super impressed. If only I could draw like that.

I hope you enjoyed these beauties. I know I sure do.

Breathe: an Inspiration Avenue Challenge

This week's challenge at Inspiration Avenue was issued by Robin. She wanted us to breathe. I don't know how to show breathing, other than


Bleubeard. He's not hissing, but panting from the summer heat. I remember our long, hot summer, and this was an example of him staying outside too long with me. So, it looks like we both had to breathe deeply that day.

I had trouble with this challenge and almost didn't post anything. But, since I didn't participate last week, and won't be able to next week, unless I get to a computer, I simply couldn't miss three weeks in a row.

How do you interpret the word "breathe?" I'm sure your ideas are better than mine, so feel free to join the IA challenge this week.

Quotes: a swap

Today I'm taking my neighbor Sally to the Surgery Center to have some kind of surgery. I don't even know what they are doing, but I know she will be there at least three hours, maybe longer. So I will be taking a few art supplies to keep me company. One thing I know is, our high for the day has come and gone. We are now into the wet, icy part of the day. I hope the rest of this entry warms you a bit.

My friend Halle requested this swap, so here is my tip-in. Since the swap is now completed, I can show my "Quote" entries.


This is the front. Here is how I made these. I began by experimenting with the backgrounds. I first laid down oil pastels, but they didn't spread, because they had melted in their box. I was going for the resist factor they would have provided. Next, I scribbled purple and orange crayons (Crayola) over the pages. Some scribbles show up better than others. Next, I laid down Titan Buff fluid acrylic paint. When the Titan Buff was dry, I added two colors of green and one blue fluid acrylic. Sorry, I don't remember the exact names, but they are all Golden brand. I made all the backgrounds on 110 lb. watercolor paper I cut to 8.5 X 11 inches.

One of my favorite quotes is by Einstein. I always laugh when I see it. I printed the quotes and colored them using pigment ink direct-to-paper. The "clock" was made using a rusty can lid that I also "burned" in my chiminea this summer. I sealed each rusty piece with spray sealer. I added real clock hands and one hour number, along with one button for each timepiece. The quote was then sewn to the paper. As a final step, after everything else was finished and sewn together, I added the clock assembly using E-6000.


For the back, I stole . . . ripped off. . . borrowed a quote I found on Dianne's blog. I loved the quote and the inspiration it provided for this side of my tip-in. It is a quote by Danny Kaye and reads "Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can."

I spent a lot of time trying to get gesso on the page, but the toothbrush I used didn't do the job I had hoped for. Since the gesso didn't provide the desired effect I wanted, and to try to live up to the quote, I dribbled some purple fluid acrylic down the top of each piece.

AH-HA!! Some of the oil pastel actually resisted, at least on the page above. Next I added circles of metallic copper and bronze fluid acrylic paint using jar lids, and allowed the pages to dry. Next, I sewed the saying, along with some yellow drywall tape to the page, as well as my information I hand wrote on labels I colored using Twinkling H20s. I blanked out my last name for this blog post. Finally, I folded the page and sewed on three sides. I didn't sew on the gutter edge in case some people wanted to bind them using a binding machine instead of tipping them into a book. I hope the recipients like them.

And even though I have not mentioned it in the two previous posts, my thoughts are with the people of Christchurch in New Zealand. There seems to be so many deaths and such devastation coming from that part of the world right now.

What's On YOUR Workdesk this 90th Wednesday?

First, I want to congratulate a few of my WOYWW friends who not only entered my One World One Heart giveaway, but also won. You know who you are (Julia, Helen, Anne, and Annette) and your gifts are all on their way to you, except Annette's whose cover I still need to finish. And I thought it was the 89th week, when it really is the 90th. I'm SO far behind.

Do you remember my basement studio?


This was before the "flood" I had in January. There's even an obligatory rocking horse in the picture, although it's a lousy photo.


The above photo was when I dyed fabric in my microwave back in September for WOYWW # 73.


This is what it looked like yesterday, even though I threw these photos into the WOYWW # 73 folder. This is the one set of shelves I kept here in case I needed something. Everything else went to storage.


The walls have been replaced and painted high gloss white,


as have the new doors and wall leading to the bath. The equipment in the hallway is not mine and neither are any of the fans.


The pegboard wall hides the furnace and hot water heater, yet provide much needed ventilation and air flow. And yes, this was my design, something these builders thought was unnecessary, even though it was the same design I had before the flood. The rocking horses are all hiding or packed carefully away.


I know this green floor looks bad, but it really is the lighting, not the floor. However, the floor will be mostly painted today (Wednesday) and I must stay off it for at least 72 hours in order for it to dry. Of course, I don't mind, since it's hard to navigate the stairs with one only hand and two bum legs/ankles after my tumble last week. And yes, I'm still typing with one hand and using the mouse only when absolutely necessary, which also means those word verifications take FOREVER.

So please visit Julia at Stamping Ground for all the details about, and the links to, this HUGE Wednesday snoop.

Last Tea Tuesday in February

Can you believe it? February will be gone in a blink of an eye. Didn't we just celebrate Christmas?


Originally, I wanted to show this cute tiny tea cup I got around Christmastime at the Oriental market, but I forgot as deadlines to other events loomed on the horizon. The cup is SO tiny, it probably will only hold one swallow of tea, and when I added the strainer, it took up most of the room in the cup.


But it is a beauty, and I had planned to use it to celebrate Chinese New Year.


Today I will enjoy Assam - Rembeng tea. A bit of explanation may be in order. Assam is a state in India, which has the world's largest tea growing area. It is famous for growing this black tea. As an aside, southern China and Assam are the only two regions in the world that have native tea plants. As the label suggests, this blend, Rembeng, is famous for its body, malty flavor, briskness, and strong, bright color. Other Assam teas, or blends containing Assam, are often sold as "breakfast" teas.


Originally, I had intended to send this to Patty when I sent her India book pages, but I forgot the package. This loose leaf tea came from a company called "Language of the Leaf." You may have to click the photo to see the details this package adds.

I know I have been absent, but I took a tumble last week about this time and have been mostly off the grid. Typing and using a mouse have not been as easy as it might seem. However, I hope you enjoyed today's tea. I have plenty, but only a tiny cup. You are welcome to a refill, or you may bring your own. Won't you join us? There are lots of other Tea Tuesday participants whose blog links you will find at Kimmie's. And Kimmie is the best hostess around. She would LOVE to have you participate each week, too. You KNOW who you are, so please go make your presence known!!

Final signatures for Patty's scrappy journal

I'm sure some of you are wondering where I have been. I'm sorry I haven't been around, but I have not been well. I am trying to get all my OWOH pieces in the mail by tomorrow, as well as my 6 X 6 swap to Duane. But unfortunately, I lost my footing on my steps to the basement last week, and my life has not been the same since. Thus, I have not been around to any of my favorite blogs, except to tell people they have won a gift. I also hobbled to the mailbox on Friday and Saturday, and the gifts are still not all gone. I'm amazed at how long it takes to send mail to others, especially 29 gifts. Not only have I not been able to walk well, my right hand is practically non-functional. I am typing with my left hand for the most part. However, I WILL be around tomorrow after I fix tea, whether you drink tea or not.

Some of you may remember I posted the first of Patty's visual journal some time ago. Here are the rest of those pages. Be sure to click ONCE for the full picture, and twice for a close up.

I used a few stickers in the Vote page.


The king collage is a rubber stamp.


Pockets are filled with tags for Patty to decorate.


I'm never sure how well pink and red go together.


The yellow arrows are by Post It.


I try to keep the center of each signature free of too many images.


The pocket on the right is wallpaper. I included a decorated tag.


I like to leave room for people to write their thoughts, or add a favorite image.


I was definitely on a sewing kick when I had Patty in mind.


I'm not sure how well Patty will be able to write on the page on the left, since this is a painted page that also has color mist added.


There are two pockets on the left and one on the right. I made sure the image on the back (doily) would match up to the pocket, so it would look like a basket.


It's pretty obvious which side I sewed first.

Once more, I apologize for not visiting each of my dear friends who make my days brighter but I've had to stop three times since I started this post in order to rest my right hand and nurse my damaged ankles. Have you ever tried to work your mouse with your non-dexterous hand? And if I've made any glaring spelling or wording mistakes, please understand I didn't go back to reread this post like I normally do.

Thanks for stopping by today. I know it will make my day when I read your comments this evening.

Silent Sunday: NBA All Stars, 2011

At The Blue Lounge

Last summer, my dear friend Joseph Peck was in town and he played at the Blue Lounge. My friend Scott showed me how to get these videos off my camera and onto You Tube. Here is one of those videos for your enjoyment.

Winners of my OWOH giveaway

As promised, here are the winners of my OWOH Giveaway. Many of my gifts were shown in the other photos, so you might want to look on the post below to see which gift you are eligible for. I'm only showing the prizes that were part of a mosaic photo in the previous post. I will let you know what prize you are eligible for when I notify you. The quiltlets are my choice and I will send the first one to the person who answers first and the second one to the second winner in that category.




Of the 4 hangings shown above, the top two are now taken. If your name is Sean entering for your daughter Melanie (#425), Biba3006 (#303), Micki (#67), or Wanda, aka Craftymule (#21), you may choose one of these as your own.


Sharon (#36) has won the Love collage. See the previous post for this.


This little gal goes to Frog and Beef (#47). It will go out Tuesday because I worked all day getting these together and a couple didn't make the mail.


The three houses (Da Vinci and Color) I didn't show, plus the five below go to the following people.

All 5 Neighborhood Watch houses are now gone.

You will need to check the previous post for the bird series. There is one left for Miss Kitty.

Priti.Lisa (#223) has won the beeswax collage.

Marie Wilson (#410) has won the tea.

The following are all about 8 inches by 11 inches. They are now all gone or leaving on Tuesday.

Mindy Rice (#320) has won the four birds. They are on their way to Mindy.


And the winner of the scrappy journal goes to Voodoo Vixen (#11). It will be in the mail on Tuesday. There is no mail on Monday, so the next mail day will be Tuesday.

I hope you enjoy your gifts. I picked whatever name came up on random.org and they are just as I picked them. I hope those of you who won, will find they are something you might enjoy.