Memorial Day 2011

Apple blossoms on our tree.

Rhododendrons blooming as well as lilacs and sweet woodruff.

We had a simple little barbecue:

hot dogs, bbq beef sandwiches, green salad, chips and lemonade.

Dessert was Claudia's soon to be famous angel food cake bites (little cupcakes!) and ice cream.

Little Wyatt in the arms of Favorite Great Aunt Claudia.

He was having a restless day, but when Aunt Claudia held him,

he was peaceful and relaxed and took a nice long nap.

The guys and Tori played a couple of games of croquet in the back yard.

The ladies stayed inside and talked babies.

Grandpa finally got a chance to play with the baby.

And with big sister too.

A happy anniversary...

Happy Anniversary to

Mike and Carissa!

Thrift Store Treasures

I try to visit my favorite thrift stores once a week. Sometimes I find nothing, sometimes I find something...

I loved these white/blue cups. They are very delicate and almost translucent. I looked for saucers, but I suspect these don't come with saucers. They are very beautiful and I hope to use them in a future tea party...

I also found this Tiffany Alphabet Bears child's plate. I thought it would be nice to keep at our house, for visitors! Phil was so impressed with the quality he thought I should look online to see if it is valuable. They are priced at $60 at the site I looked at! hmmm should I keep it or try to sell it? (I paid $6 for it - a LOT for a Goodwill plate!)

And I found a couple of books - Mary Poppins. A beautiful book- no writing inside. I love the book with the feathers on it and I will probably chop that one and turn it into an art journal!

All these purchases were from the Olympia Goodwill. I like to go once a week, because sometimes I find something very special!

Art Journaling Workshop

This week I started an on-line journaling workshop. Its kind of a leap of faith for me, because I do have trouble sometimes getting my computer to do what I think it should do. Figuring out Flickr is my next mission, so I can look at other students' work, and post my own. But, I have W at home for a while, so I figure I have back-up. So far I have had no problems. My first page...ta da...

Christy Tomlinson, at Scarlet Lime, is the artist/teacher. The first week she has 28 videos packed with information on how to use all these "supplies" I have been collecting for years! She has such a friendly, messy, straightforward way about her, she makes you feel like nothing you do is wrong! nothing!

So, on my first page, I've used acrylic paints, foam stamps with acrylic paint applied, rubber stamps, bubble wrap, vintage book pages, ink, etc. The theme is "Three Hearts". I've rather changed it to "Three Arts", I'll be making three books demonstrating all the techniques I learn.

It is like a refreshing day at the beach to use the other side of my brain.

A man with a mission

Coming home from work 2 days ago, I was listening to the David Boze show on KTTH. He was interviewing Michael Reagan, artist. This artist has stumbled onto his life mission, to sketch the faces of fallen heroes for their families, for free. Listening to his story, how he made his first portrait and how it changed his life was very moving to me. I finally had to turn the radio off when people started calling in to say how he enriched their lives and brought their loved one back to them through his portraits. I was crying listening to it and dangerous to be on the road in that condition.

His website is michaelgreaganartist.com Take a look at his work and his story and I think you will be moved too. I saw in his website that he went to art school at the Burnley School of Art (founded by my husband's great-uncle Ed Burnley), now the Seattle Art Institute.

Who needs sunshine?

I had planned to have a nice long post tonight,

but I'm running out of ambition.

But, I do want to share part of my day.

This was the view from inside my car when

I was waiting to pick Tori up after school. And the view after I took her home.
Who needs sunshine?

Notice my new Blog Header?

See my new blog header? My daughter made it for me! Isn't it great? I only do the bare minimum on my blog, she knows things! Thank you! As I was walking around the yard this morning, looking like a large serving of cotton candy, in my pink bathrobe (thanks, friend, for that image!) I caught these beautiful apple blossoms! So pretty. I hope they get pollinated, the apples from this tree are very good.

Also the white lilacs have finally matured enough for these beautiful flowers! It seems like a decade since I planted it! Love them!

Sweet Cicely is in bloom! This is a lovely fern-like plant with white flowers. Eventually licorice flavored pods appear! Very nice and spreads in a very nice and civilized way.

After lunch, we walked down to our beach on Totten Inlet. It was a little coldish and kind of windy, but it was a good walk. Sea Kelp was a bright spot on the beach!

And I thought these soggy leaves were fascinating!

Lovely ferns on the banks. Just us and a few seagulls in the area.

And this pink blossom. I don't know what it is, something wild maybe. Very pink and pretty. Maybe I should try to substitute this image for the cotton candy one in my bathrobe?

We grilled hamburgers for dinner and had sweet potato fries with them. I made chocolate cupcakes too, some for W's lunch as he heads off to his summer job tomorrow, some for Alan's family tomorrow when I stop by with dinner (and dessert!).

I hope you had a happy weekend too.

Artist's Garage Sale

Last year CJ and I had so much fun at Olympia's Artist's Garage Sale. We couldn't wait for this year. We were not disappointed! It is held at the Olympia Armory, a familiar place to us as our dad worked there for many years. Today it was home to Olympia Artists that belong to Posca (?). They set up tables and sold their art and excess supplies - at garage sale prices! I bought a FEW things...

These two neat old books were .50 each.

You know me, I'll be cutting them up and using various parts, and recycling anything not used. Its not easy to find books with actual images like this on the covers anymore.

One woman there had all kinds of sewing stuff and vintage fabric.
That is the last thing I need more of, but...these three pieces caught my eye and I envisioned them as a cover on books or journals...so, only $2.

This stuff is from a couple of different packs I bought from different vendors.

Keno cards, some wonderful cards from games like Sorry, Pit, and a travel game.

All very vintage and exotic looking for some future project.

A ball of hemp yarn, for future coptic bound books, and thread on wooden spools! $1 for all.

There were LOTS of beads throughout the sale. These little bags were .50 each. I know I have uses for them. The three little Christmas tree candle holders with spring clips (about two inches across) were .25 for all three. I just put them with my Christmas stuff and I know I will be delighted to run across them this December!

This hardcover book was a huge find! $1. Its like new and packed with brilliant ideas! CJ has this one too and I have borrowed it before and loved it and tried to photocopy every page, but you know that's just not the same.

I got some other things too, including two boxes of used oil pastels.

I'm starting on an on-line art journaling class on Monday and I think I will learn how to use those. $1

I always say I have ENOUGH rubber stamps!

But, when I found these really great ones for only .25 each,

well, wouldn't you buy them?

I had to try them out when I got home.

I really like the Espresso one.

Well, I love them all.

On my way home, I bought dinner from Thai Garden.

No cooking for me tonight!

I have things to put away and play with!

Finishing up.

I have finally finished little Wyatt's quilt. I think I will give it to him tomorrow, on his one week birthday!
The colors match his nursery, and his eyes...either
brown or blue!
Stitched with love from his grandma.

Farmer's Market

Today was my first trip to the Farmer's Market this year.

A beautiful day - 70+ Vicki and I meet for lunch nearly every Thursday, and today we decided to meet at Farmer's Market.

Beautiful!

We ate lunch at the Italian Restaurant, BLT's - outrageously delicious! We also went to the Kirsop's vegetable stand and I bought salad greens, a head of Romaine, and fresh radishes.

Such a nice day to be outside.

Naughty boy!

This naughty boy has been causing big trouble at our house! He is so cute he gets away with it though.

Soon we won't be able to put our bird feeders out at all.

They even raid the hummingbird feeders.

This is a project I have been working on...A coptic bound book, filled with random papers (music, watercolor, and kraft paper). The cover is an old Reader's Digest Condensed book.

The inside. I learned to do the coptic binding on You Tube. It was tricky so good to have the demo I could re-wind and pause. I like the technique!

I bought this lovely deck of cards at Goodwill yesterday.

They are French. I'll use them on something!

The the next three photos I took at AJ's photography class.

I figured I might as well bring my camera along too. . .

A self portrait. I couldn't get AJ to try this one.

He had his own fascinating ideas.

A beautiful pale lemon yellow Rhododendron against the beautiful blue sky.

We are having the best day ever here in Olympia!

A day in the life of baby...

Another baby visit, and I am putting all these photos in for Carissa, who wants more photos of her little nephew! I stopped by this afternoon and he was napping so beautifully. Even the sound of my camera didn't bother him! The black and white photo is Alan as a newborn.

We were comparing the two babes, and they look identical!

Then, W put his elbow in front of his face!
Typical guy sleeping huh?

He was obviously having sweet dreams...

Maybe I was a little disturbing with my camera sounds.

Time to get up!

"I love my mommy"

Amost 3 days old.

A stroll around my yard.

It was a lovely day today, and the weather is just supposed to

improve over the next several days.

I just walked around my yard and found these in bloom. We planted so many rhododendrons when we first moved in...

we have blooms for a long stretch of time...
Sweet Cicely...
lovely green fern-like plant with these exquisite licorice scented blossoms.

My favorite Rhododendron. I really like the hot pink ones!

Apple Blossoms!

Claudia, you have to remind me what this is called!

I actually pulled some weeds today.