prettified matches

some things,

well,

many things,

are an eyesore

... like strike on the box kitchen matches ...

(front)

 since I keep them out in plain view in my dining room

I had to make them pretty

(back)

 it was easy

I coated the top and bottom with gesso 

(that step is not entirely necessary)

and pasted on some cool wrapping paper

added some scraps of this and that

coated it with mod podge

(not entirely necessary either)

and now I don't have to look at an ugly red and blue box anymore

* * *

... and then I discovered this sweet picture on my camera ...

child's self portrait

(new pierced ears)

nesting instinct

this is an old art piece 

from back in the days of making tons of atc's (artist trading cards)

these atc's are all paper pieced bird houses

I used:

stamping

decorative papers

sanding

inking

a little bit of vintage lace

and attached them all to an old piece of fence wood

it's been hanging in my kitchen for 3 yrs now

and today I decided that it needed

beeswax

a quote I saw yesterday:

take something.

do something to it.

do something else to it.

- jasper johns

some things are much happier with a bit of beeswax

* * *

looking forward to the season of birds

this is what we woke up to:

it's just a little wimpy bit of snow up here in western Washington

it's very pretty and just a little bit of a nuisance

but with our hills and lack of snow removal stuff, 

it's enough to close the schools

and put us all into hibernation

virtual tea

over the weekend,  I had reason to "metacognate" about the virtual world

facebook

e-mail

blogs

urban legends

Jill, Nathalie, Penny, Pat (and many others I am sure)

posted their

"this is me while I am blogging"

portraits

well, this is me while I am blogging

I have decided that blogging is my favorite piece of the virtual world puzzle

for instance:

I blew it on facebook .... I questioned the whole "unfriending" thing and called attention to an "unfriending" event .... which is better left ignored and not discussed (on fb at least)

I forwarded a circulating e-mail without first checking snopes

I think the only mistake I've made while blogging, is to not leave enough comments

kind comments are everything to a blogger

how many times have you posted something and then checked e-mail all day to see what sort of comments you've gotten?

 it's the kind words and encouragement that forge these lasting virtual friendships

facebook is not the same

you just sort of throw words out there and hope something comes back

e-mail will never replace a phone call

blogging is a very happy medium

and I am a happy blogger

:)

well, I am off for a few hours now for some real (not virtual) time with someone

I hope your day is a happy one

full of kind words and encouragement

from both near AND far

real AND virtual

it ALL matters

love,

from

me

(p.s. I will check back in and make the rounds with everyone later on this afternoon)

* * *

the tea on tuesday bloggers

(all kind and encouraging bloggers)

Altered Booklover 
An Artist’s Legacy 

Artfully Ooglebloops 

Bell’antico 

Purple Lotus Art 

Magpie’s Nest 

Christen’s Creations 

Halle’s Hobbies 

Ink Spillers Attic 

*new*Girl Unwinding 

*new*My Cup of Tea 
*new*Amy 

*new*Wendy

Bliss & Gesso 

Bits By Nancy 

Livewire Jewelry 

Pieces of D 

Bluebirds Living in the Meadow 

spring sowing

(no I am not planting it)

"spring sowing" art quilt

attached to watercolor paper

18X22 inches

(unframed)

available here on: Etsy

materials used:

teabag papers

teabag tags and string

garden seeds

garden seed catalog

damask

beeswax

*

thank you for your continued interest in this project

it was fun to string you along

(heart)

sewing seeds illuminated

the spring sewing is nearly complete

taking advantage of sunbreaks today

to get that backlight photography I love so much

teabag paper, an old sheet, a seed catalog and 3 year old seeds I've saved

marigolds

my favorite flower

these seeds are trying their darndest to work their way out

tea from where I sit

 (I purposely overexposed all my pics today ... it creates bright sun ... when there is none)

before sitting down to tea this morning

I checked my mailbox

there was lots of mail For Me!

but first, you have to see who is keeping a watchful eye on me all day long:

is he making sure I don't blow the budget?

you can't spend too much buying seeds, can you?

sewing is on the "to do list"

but first comes tea

(tazo passion)

 and a sweet little valentine all the way from Buffalo NY

I hope the P.O. never stops making pretty stamps

thank you PakArt for the great bottle caps!

all the way from Alaska

soon we will be seeing these flying friends again

soon

yes

soon

***

happy tuesday to you

I hope your day is filled with sunlight

even when there is none

spring is a month away!!!

for more lovely tea, please visit these beautiful blogs:
(please note the *new* tea blogs too)


Altered Booklover
An Artist’s Legacy
Artfully Ooglebloops
Bell’antico
Purple Lotus Art
Magpie’s Nest
Christen’s Creations
Halle’s Hobbies
Ink Spillers Attic
*new*Girl Unwinding
*new*My Cup of Tea
*new*Creative Sandwich
*new*Amy
Bliss & Gesso
Bits By Nancy
Livewire Jewelry
Pieces of D
Bluebirds Living in the Meadow


and if you want to know more about Tea on Tuesday, 

please click the tab at the top of my page:

What is Tea on Tuesday?

hands and hearts

we were a flurry of activity yesterday

an origami lesson from the sweet 11 yr old

doilies that we thought looked like maori warrior faces

thinking of the right words for the right people

mom's lazy modern art

happy valentines day

let the love flow

scattered heart

a mosaic of heather blossoms

a minute later, swept away by the wind

*

photographed on top of my gulf spill quilt, which is enduring 153 days of nature

(read more about it HERE)

broken heart

a valentine a day

beach pottery shards

available on Etsy:

Rubycquins

(Scotland)

"hello honey"

... a valentine a day ...

these are from the 60's and I am sure will bring back lots of sweet memories

do you like the vintage photo effect?

I went to Rollip.com

... it's free!