A little this, a little TAAFOMFT

continuing with the woodland theme - 

a cut glass bowl filled with glass ornaments from past years - acorns, pinecones, and walnuts

the new challenge at TAAFOMFT is to show us your favorite celebrity

I honestly couldn't think of anyone - I admit I am not really into the gossip-y side of entertainment and many times don't even know the names of actors in movies (I do like Mr. Depp though!!!) so I decided to do a sort of art journal page using cut-outs from a magazine that I got from the free table at the library. I painted the background and collaged the female image. come on over and show us your stuff!

This morning I have continued the purge of stuff in my studio and

this afternoon I am off to my last session of Watercolor portrait class

tonight we are going to Carrabba's for dinner - YUM!

and tomorrow our annual pre-Christmas trip to West Palm - to check out the holiday decorations - I can hardly wait to see what Anthropologie has done this year

Barnes & Noble to check out the books and magazines

probably Cheesecake Factory for lunch as we have never been there

and Whole Foods to stock up on some staples, some wine, bread, and cheese

Have a wonderful day!

ttfn

birds of a feather

Just saying hello so you don't think I have disappeared.

I have been vegging and thinking quite a bit about what direction in which I want to go with my art and my life - reading some old favorite books, doing yoga almost every morning, drinking Darjeeling tea by the potfuls, painting, and finishing my Autumn KAL wrap for the Jane Thornley competition (speaking of, I received a copy of the book in which my Knit a beach wrap was featured!) I have been purging and simplifying my studio and my life - it feels so good to shed things and I have to admit that I have no desire to add new things right now at all. I have been thinking of designating 2011 as THE YEAR OF LIVING ABUNDANTLY - enjoying and using what I have, and being ever thankful for my blessings of family, home, and time. Have you thought about where you want to go and what you want to do next year?

I'll keep you posted on my process.

Hope those of you in the US had a great Thanksgiving - we had a wonderful day of family fun and delicious food!

I have pretty much put up my holiday decorations - I am not doing a traditional tree this year; instead I wired together some branches and created a bare tree on which I attached lots of birds and nests.

I am now working on more houses for my little village.

Tomorrow I will be back with the newest TAAFOMFT challenge - be sure to check it out!

ttfn

Chris

Some thoughts about - holidays.

Thanksgiving

Yesterday I bought all the fixings for our Thanksgiving dinner and I also got the final ingredients to make my mother's English Christmas cake - I will be doing that on Sunday morning as the cake takes 4 hours to bake. I am so looking forward to seeing our son next week and enjoying his company. I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed holiday

I had my DH get my boxes of holiday stuff down from the attic so I could get some ideas and start creating holiday items for DT work and for my house. I want to do some very different decorating this year - I made a funky tree from some branches and I plan to place lots of birds etc on it. I am working on some paper items to go with this - and I want to make some paper houses for my village. Lots of ideas bubbling around!

Yesterday we got a notice from Directv that they were giving us 3 months of the Showtime channels, and I was very happy - I love the Sundance channel and especially Man Shops Globe (a program about a guy who goes to other countries buying items for Anthropologie). I am watching a marathon of MSG this morning - 4 shows in a row!!!!!!!!!

Hope you have a great day, and I will be back this weekend with some sneak peeks!

ttfn

Chris

All I can do........

for Sketchy Thursdays (I rotated the sketch) and for Scrapping the Music - Blind Melon "No Rain"

I really mixed it up here - Sassafrass and Stampington paper, Prima flower and pom pom trims, vintage fabric, Pink Paislee and October afternoon alphas, and some other funky little things that I found in my embellishment basket.

Lots going on - see you soon!

Thank you

thanks to everyone who reads my little blog, and thanks for the encouraging comments.

I made these cards for the new challenge over at http://whatisyourfavething.blogspot.com/

Be sure to go over and read Julie's wonderful idea for this challenge, see the DT's fantastic selection of cards, and then make some cards in your favorite fall colors. I used some of the wonderful SEI Moonrise collection papers and embellishments - such perfect colors for fall!

Back later today or tomorrow with a new layout I made yesterday - I haven't been doing challenges much for about 6 months but I tried one, no two, yesterday.

Gotta finish laundry and ironing - yoga is done and most of the house cleaned - this afternoon will be some playtime in the studio and then late afternoon a Library Friends board meeting - busy day!!!!!

ttfn

Chris

Another beautiful day

Looks like it will be another stunning day here - last night it got down to 58 so it was perfect for sleeping, and today should get up to the high 70s with lots of sun! DH is working at a golf tournament this morning so I was up early and have apple bread baking in the oven right now. After doing my yoga, I plan to have a slice of warm bread and a pot of Darjeeling tea. Oh joy!

I have been painting this week and also knitting like a fiend (to finish my Autumn wrap by 11/30). I have also been thinking about projects for the holidays - gotta get busy on those - and also doing some layouts for a paper company on whose blog I will be GDing soon. This afternoon after I get home from working at the gift shop and running some errands, I will be cutting out a blouse to sew for myself - it's made of 2 different fabrics, and the pattern is really funky - I read it very carefully yesterday and am pretty sure I understand the steps - once I finish it, I will take a pic.

I am pretty sure that I posted the above layout  in October when I created it, but here it is again - it is the October Prima BAP, and it was shown on their blog yesterday. Yay!!!!! I am so impressed by the fabulous creations shown on their blog - so many brilliant scrappers - and to get a layout on there is just so exciting and humbling for me.

The "Season" is really perking up since the beginning of November, and do we ever need it! Foreclosures were up again last month in the county where I live, and unemployment remains very high. For us personally, Season (from 11/1 - 4/30 with High Season 1/1 - 3/31) is when we make most of our money. We are very frugal and save a lot to get us through the summer, but I have to admit Sept and Oct can get pretty lean around here - oh we have plenty but no extra to go out to eat or to buy frivolous stuff like scrapping or art supplies for me or golf clubs getting regripped for DH. The past 2 winters haven't been as good as some earlier ones but we hope things are improving.

Hope your weekend is fabulous!

and thanks so much for reading and commenting!

Thanks to all the vets

Photo on this layout is of my DH when he was in the Air Force.

Thanks to all of the members of the Armed Services today and past for all they do and have done.

The best thing that those of us here in the US can do for our troops is to urge the government to bring them all home safely and to support them when they return.  Little yellow ribbon magnets on SUVs mean nothing compared to the sacrifices that military families and vets make and have made for all of us.

Thank you again to all the men and women who serve and have served.

Fall is in the air - and in the house

Just a few photos in the living room - the entry table, some fall candles, my DH reading, the quilt that I am currently quilting, a half-knitted wrap, and freshly cut strippons (I ran out last night and had to hurriedly cut some more (they look like noodles! LOL! )
Lots of creation going on - painting, scrapping, quilting, knitting, and baking
Hope your day is filled with good things!

Paper and ephemera wreath

I made this wreath from Gecko Galz papers and ephemera 

We finally got some cool!! weather this weekend - quite a shock to our spoiled little Florida systems but I have been making soup, chili, and bread, and it's so cozy and homey!

I tidied and cleaned my studio this morning so I am ready to create!

Hope your Sunday is going well!

I will be back in a couple of days with some new paintings and projects, and some thoughts about creation and also about the economy - it's a strange and different world out there!

ttfn

Chris