What is your favorite game?

Be sure to check out the newest challenge at These are a few of my favorite things challenge blog - what is your favorite game?  Although both Dan and I grew up in card playing families, we play games very seldom. Dan isn't too fond of them. We did play games when we lived on the sailboat - and this layout is a memory of playing Mexican train dominoes when we were in the Republica Dominicana - so much fun!!!!!!

Check out the great layouts by the other DT members and then show us your stuff!
Chris

New Year poem

After I returned home from working and going to the library today, I was checking email and saw the weekly scrapbooking contests etc - I linked onto the Scrap the Poetry blog and found the most wonderful poem for the month - I was totally inspired and created this layout using a close-up photo of ornaments on my holiday tree and lots of white papers, laces, flowers, and even a brooch. Check out the poem on their blog - the author so beautifully expresses the winter season moving into spring.

This morning while reading Design Sponge, I saw a list of books about sustainable living - I wrote down the names and author,s and was able to get several of them (along with a vinyasa flow yoga dvd and several other fun books) at the library. I am looking forward to reading the urban homestead by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen, The Self-Sufficient-ish Bible, and just enough, lessons in living green from traditional Japan. I also was able to get a book on beadwork that has a necklace I would like to make.

January was a difficult month for us in the financial area, but I did not purchase any craft supplies or books. I have not purchased any scrapbooking supplies since last August. I purchased watercolor paper and a couple of skeins of yarn in September, and one watercolor book in early December. I have renewed no magazine subscriptions (I was only getting two, and they both ran out in January) so I feel very good about my NOT BUYING IT goal.  The hard part will come in the next couple of months with all the new CHA releases and also I will be taking a watercolor workshop from a national teacher in April (hopefully my supplies will hold out!)  Two fun things: I did win a $15 gift card to Michaels from our art club (haven't received it yet) and a cool digi kit from Sande Krieger through the 7gypsies blog - cool!

Anyway, life is good and very abundant!  The weather here today is warm (not as warm as usual) and sunny so DH is playing golf this afternoon (he gets free golf by doing volunteer work at the golf course).

Thanks for reading and hope you are having a super day, especially Julie and all the other crafters who are at CHA. I am looking forward to lots of photos and commentary!!!!!
Chris

January Sketchbook Challenge

I have been working in my sketchbook this month quite a bit - sketching and painting - these are just three of the pages - the first sketch was inspired by a painting by Ivan Djeneeff - I got a book about him from the Museum library - A Russian Odyssey.  The painting made me think of the Floodmage in Terri Windling's book The Wood Wife -  Windling's blog http://windling.typepad.com/blog/ is one of my favorites - she talks a lot about art, creation, and writing; and she posts wonderful photos and links to other fascinating blogs.

Have you been watching Downton Abbey on Masterpiece Theater? It is so enchanting - I love the house, the clothes - all so perfectly of the Edwardian period! Tomorrow is the final episode but you can watch all the episodes online.

Have a super weekend!
Chris

A little bird made some cards

Life has been a bit busy this past week - working extra hours so not much time for playing in the studio but - I did create two cards using some Gecko Galz scraps of papers and ephemera, a little lace, ribbon, and paint. I know that everyone who is any one in the craft world is at CHA - someday maybe...........

With working so much, I have been reading quite a bit in the evening - I found the coolest book at the library about sewing, cooking, and just plain living - It's titled Amy Barickman's Vintage Notions - the illustrations are so charming and the prose is so inspiring!

Have a creative day!
Chris