Today we have sunshine and I get to enjoy it with my tea :)

This is a lovely tea given to me by my dear friend Diane aka Cameldiva. It has a pleasant, light, flavour. Very nice, wish you were here Diane to share a cuppa :)




Here is my pincushion, but the 'doily' part is not sewn onto the pink satin. I am not pleased with the way the crocheted part is up off the table. So, I'm going to make another cushion or maybe I can just remove some stuffing. I want the tips of the doily to rest on the table.


I tried lilac and pink satin and chose pink because it just seemed to look better for this one. There are little pearls all around on three of the rows, I hope you can see them.

You can find other tea drinkers at Kimmies place, http://wordsonpaperscraps.blogspot.com/

Tea on Tuesday

Oh my, I'm the one who is late today! Such a busy day for me. Mostly family stuff that was good to do, but I almost didn't get to my tea :)

It was a little gloomy here, late today, even a little sprinkle. However, I did get to go outside to drink my tea. This is a Holiday Chai, black tea, so I just had to put it into my Christmas mug! AND I am having a coconut bar--that is fast becoming my favourite :)

I have started a new project, not normal unless I have ten things on the go at once :)

Can you guess what this is? I made some of these a few years back and seeing that I'm trying to use up some of my many balls of crochet thread, thought I'd do a couple more. It's a top for a pincushion. I've also been inspired by seeing some very interesting pincushions on Ooglebloops' blog and some other blogs lately. This one is almost done, then I have to sew a satin, or some other fabric to make the pillow for it.

Please check out http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/ for the other regular tea drinkers and please leave a comment and join us :)

The Treasure of Friendship by Hallmark

A dear friend picked up this little book for me at a garage sale :)

She, who never goes to garage sales, was on holidays and 'just happened' to stop.

"As soon as I saw this" she said, "I thought of you". Isn't that just like a true friend :)






I had to show you the inside and how it is written.

All the little write-ups are by separate authors.

All the pages are framed just like this.

A precious gift that I treasure from my friend.

Tea on Tuesday

I'm out on the deck for my tea, but it is kind of cloudy now and we could get a shower soon.

That's my Christmas mug, it just is one of the nice ones to hang onto :)

with my favourite tea.

The stone is one collected from the river for painting. The scene is of the Matthew River leaving Ghost Lake. It's a lovely trip through Wells Grey Park. If you look on my website, there are some more photos of the area.

It is almost half done :) The photo below is what I'm using.

Join us for tea, on Kims blog, www.artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

and: www.artfullyooglebloops.blogspot.com/

Altered Puzzle Pieces

I thought I'd share some puzzle pieces I'm working on.

All of the pieces were sponged with ink or sprayed with glimmer mist, or both.

The one with the clock is covered with a piece of printed vellum and kind of distressed on the edges.

On the pink one with the shell bits and pearls, I used the faux silk technique. Then added a vintage sticker that comes right from Hawaii.

The green piece has been stamped with versamark and clear ep used before sponging. I used very narrow tape and micro beads on the straight edges, then added gems around the mask. The Mona Lisa eyes were set in where the mask eye was. I added the words from the Guess Who Song 'These Eyes'.

The burgundy and blue piece has vintage cowgirls. I used a piece of packing tape over a picture from a magazine, then rubbed the paper off (using water) leaving a transparent image. Then I added, with modge podge, a dried iris petal from my garden. The reddish stone was added just because I like stones :)

The top orange coloured piece was sponged, then I used a piece of lace like a stamp , dipped in versamark, pressed onto the puzzle and clear embossed.

I added some woven strips of stamped paper and some fibers. The button is from my Mothers' button box of many years gone by :) Then I added some cut out birds from Paper~Ya, an asian stamp, a rock, and bit of gold ep, at the bottom, that I impressed an asian coin.

I'll be adding some more in a few days--when they are finished :)

Tea on Tuesday and Plants to Plant

I'm having a lovely cup of my favourite licorice spice tea, out on my new front deck on a little bench by the new flowers :)

Below is a picture of the work that I'm going to do after my tea. I have some pots for the back deck that all these things are going into. Two will hang on hangers over the back of one pond. A couple small ones around the ponds and the tomatoes and some flowers in the big pots on the main deck part. Oh, and that would be Cassie, one of my helpers. Don't look too close, I shaved her and it's not perfect!

Below this, is me at the local Nursery/Golf Course having tea with a friend, who kindly took my picture--thanks Susan :) yes, I know, now I need to go change my profile pic!

Susan's blog is on my list to the left, Nice, Not Nice. I hope she joins us for Tuesday Tea.

If you are reading this, check out Tea on Tuesday at Kims http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

New Deck

Well, we have a new front porch/deck. Turned out bigger than first planned, but is a little more serviceable.


This is the view from the road.





This is how it looks as I'm standing in our driveway, looking the length of the house.




We tore the original railing off the back deck a couple of years ago and quite like it without.


I still have to get more flowers placed around the pond and a couple of big planters on the deck. Maybe we'll put some tomatoes in the big pots along with a couple of herbs and flowers.

The arbor needs replacing, but that'll have to wait a bit.

I actually used the small rototiller on two of the flower gardens. I am in the process of moving some of the flowers around and turning two flower beds into lawn.

Tea on Tuesday

Well, it is early evening and I'm just having my tea now. Such a busy day in the garden. This lovely cup of tea is compliments of a dear friend, Diane. Twinings Russian Caravan Tea--'a fragrant blend of Keemun and other fine China teas producing a light liquor with a delicate flavour'--the words on the package. Very tasty!




Last weekend I went to a garage sale and found these items for six dollars they had a lot of vintage things, some very reasonable and some more expensive. I love the Royal Albert cup/mug and the little dishes I bought to put my tea bag on because I don't always use the pot :)

Please join us for tea :) visit Kim's Blog ,
http://www. artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

Flowers Everywhere

Last weekend I took the bus to Edmonton--about 14 hours drive--and on the way, I crocheted flowers for the stamping/scrapping group I was meeting. Well, these little guys are kind of addicting to make, so I did some on the way back and last week made a few more.

Although my original plan was to use them on cards or in scrapbooking, the little flowers can be put on anything you like. They look especially pretty with silk or netting behind them and a few beads here and there.




I also did some scrunchies on hair elastics.

A Whole Week Gone By

I can't believe I have not blogged for a week! Getting ready to go to Edmonton for a weekend of stamping :)




Anyway, here I am at my desk having tea today. It is quite wet outside and some higher levels even got snow! WUWT, my poor Begonias are wishing they were back at the nursery. At least I get to look at a summer photo of the deck.


The tea today is Stash, Vanilla Nut Creme. I like it straight, but the package says it is like a creamy dessert-like drink if you add milk and a sweetner. My snack is a nut/fruit mix, awesome :) The cup was a gift, right from Scotland!

Join us for tea at Kim's, http://www.artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

Finished Rock

Well, this is how it is going to stay, I just accentuated the lines that border the creek, rocks and trees. I don't want to add any more.

This rock is going outside on my table to help hold napkins down when we eat out there :)

I'm posting this photo to show you what inspired me. I hope the person in cyber space will forgive me for using it. It is not used for anything except my rock. If this photo belongs to you, please leave a comment so I can direct people to your blog :)

Tuesday Tea

I'm not very imaginative today--same tea :) Licorice! The pretty cup is a gift from a friend.

My snack is yummy and I took it outside on the deck. As you can see, my gardens have not been cleaned out! But it is barely Spring here--also quite visible by the lack of leaves :)

I did 28 rows on a little sweater for my Granddaughter and then it started to cloud over and got quite chilly.

Have a look at Kim's Tuesday Tea group at http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

Zentangles

After seeing Kim's (artinredwagons) Zentangles and watching the video on her blog, I thought I would try doing one. I used a rather fine tip marker and before I knew it, I was doing a bit of a scene. My computers' wallpaper right now is a lovely picture of a little stream, bubbling over and around rocks, with a few trees hanging over it.

I don't know if this qualifies as a Zentangle, but I found it extremely relaxing. I am now filling in some of the spaces which will define the trees and rocks a bit. I'm going to spend a bit of time on it tomorrow and then post another picture.

Can you see the picture evolving?

Tuesday Tea Time

Kim at artinredwagons.blogspot.com is having tea every Tuesday, come and join us. Here I am, finally, with my tea. Been a busy day with lots of interuptions--so I had a very short tea break.


This is one of my most favourite teas right now. The aroma is wonderful if you like licorice. With most teas, I need a little honey, but not this one :)
I had to have a little goodie with mine today!



I'm reading the Blue Zones right now. I skipped to the chapter that tells where people in America are living longer, healthier lives. That place is Loma Linda--60 miles east of Los Angeles.

Finally Finished the Scarf

Who thought up that name anyway? Scarf! We don't eat them :)

I tried to follow a pattern from the internet, but it just didn't work. So, this is what happened--funny how it only takes a few minutes to rip out a days work! I actually ripped out the base you see attached to my bamboo hook as well.

I then started to make another, using the beginning of one pattern, then carry on with my own idea. This uses 3 balls of Bernat, 86 % bamboo/12% acrylic/ 2% polyester blend. With a piece of the yarn, I tied on two wooden buttons to hold it together. It makes a really soft and cozy neck warmer :)

Flowering Tea Ball

My Daughter-in-law's wonderful Mother gave me a flowering tea ball. My amazing little blooming ball was called Lily Basket.

It took 15 minutes to fully open and itsn't quite as pretty as the picture on the bag it came in, however, it did look awesome opening up and it stood a good inch above the water.





I do not have the clear teapot or cup you can buy with these little balls, but never the less, I strained it and enjoyed a lovely fragrant cup of tea :) and apparently you can use these again, so I will let you know how many cups I get from this different little gem.

Dogs or Monkeys

Instead of two little dogs, it sometimes appears that we have two little monkeys or at the very least, two very young children.

Cassie the 1 1/2 year old has claimed the old rocker as her look-out post. As you can see, she has her sad face down pat and I think it is because she would really like to have a friend to play with, someone her own size to keep her company. So, I take it upon myself to convince my husband of this and we get a new puppy!

After years of only owning larger dogs, little did we know how these two little monkeys would win us over! They are constantly amusing us with their antics, love to play and be where we are and have completely become our 'kids'.

Mischa, the black and white one, now 5 months old, is affectionately called Squishy face while Cassie is Fuzzy Butts.


Cassie came to us when she was about 6 months old and is a very well-mannered little dog. I wish I could say the same for monkey number 2! Don't get me wrong, she is pretty good, however, sometimes I feel that we go two steps forward and one step back! I'm sure it is just the puppy stage and she will learn from her big sister.

The kids are all gone, but we now have a different basket of toys in the living room. Ones that we are suckered into playing with too :) and most are spread about the house with various socks and slippers--nothing chewed or destroyed, just deposited everywhere. Also, there are twigs, leaves and other interesting tidbits from outside!

Good thing they are so cute and funny!

Thanks for the nice comments :)

Just want to say thanks for the nice comments and the encouragement from you all!

Well, I really didn't get a lot accomplished on this busy weekend! But I'd like to show you three Artist Trading Cards that I made some time ago for a swap. Although it is hard to tell with the photo, the cards are the proper size, 2 1/2 x 3 1/2.

I love the Lady with the Flute because of the Spirella in the corner, very nice technique and I should use it more.

The Blue Dream card, is done on glossy card stock, has a 'scenescape' background technique, then is stamped in Stazon Black ink. With a stylus that has a sponge tip, you swipe ink across the cardstock in one direction using a few colours creating a gorgeous background for any image.

The Mermaids are also on glossy cardstock and use the same techneque. The white waves have a 3d look by going over the foamy part with a gaze pen. I love the saying.

Asian Wedding Card

I'm hoping eventually to have separate pages to show the different craft things that I do, but for now, you'll be seeing a mixture of 'stuff' right here on the main blog.

A dear young man that I had in my daycare many years ago has been living in Japan and found a beautiful young lady to love, honour and cherish. We have been invited to their wedding blessing that is taking place here in BC. So of course, I made my own card for this occasion. I used mostly Stampin Up paper, stamps, and ink. The good luck knot on the front is made from Mizuhiki cord by Yasutomo. I used glaze pens to give the flowers a 3-d look. The front 'Congratulations' tag is raised on pop-dots and so is the inside piece with the verse. The back has a couple of dragonflies and fans stamped with versamark. The card is 6" x 4 1/2" and I don't think it's easy to see, but the white inside piece is attached only on the left and right sides, lifting it from the middle--does that make sense :)

Bamboo

Today, I’m concentrating on tomorrow :) Now that doesn’t happen very often! Seriously now, I’m talking about Earth Day, April 22. Are you up to the gills with ‘green’ talk?

I’m only going to touch on one thing today and that is Bamboo. I have just bought myself some bamboo yarn and needles. In fact, I have also, recently purchased some bamboo dishes (not for dishwashers), spoon and fork. A friend just gave me some bamboo clothes pins! So, I am on my way to becoming even more green!

Bamboo can be harvested without killing the plant and is a rapid grower. In fact if you grow it, watch out, the roots grow underground and spread fast. Bamboo stands release close to 35% more oxygen than that of a tree stand the same size. It is said to have antibacterial properties and the fabric/yarn has ultra-violet protective properties.

As well as the items I just bought, bamboo is used in construction, furniture, sports equipment--including fishing rods, clothing, and maybe more that I haven’t discovered.

The yarn, which I’m most interested in right now, has a good luster, is strong, flexible and soft. When made up, it is breathable and cool. I’ve read that it loses strength when wet and swells in water, some brands of yarn split more that others. Bamboo needs to be hand-washed which may be a bother. The needles are really nice to use, but be careful not to poke the yarn and split the fibres, which can happen with all needles. They are very light weight but strong.

Apparently, if you are looking for antibacterial properties in yarn, the 100% is best, or you should choose one that is at least 70% bamboo. One that I just bought is 86% bamboo, 12% acrylic, 2% polyester and the other is 70% bamboo and 30% silk. Most of this information is from AboutMyPlanet.com

Next week, you should see some samples from both of these yarns :) I have a couple of busy days coming up, but I’ll be back by the weekend to show you some paper projects that I’ve been working on! Cards and stuff.