be yourself

this week has been a crazy school week for the kids,

but working in my art journal has been very do-able.

sometimes I'd rather be a mad painter in an airy light-filled loft

... but I'm a mom, driver, cook, maid, etc ...

and surely, 

if I were the mad artist in a loft

... I would wish for momming, driving, cooking, etc....

so I doodle

and I blog

:)

Here's how I did these pages:

gesso

*

ink-jet printed image 

(it's me at age 6)

*

mod-podged face down

*

about an hour later, dampen ink jet paper

*

carefully rub and peel away paper, leaving image behind

*

mod podged second image face up

*

a bit of gesso to soften the edges

*

a bit of color (I used watercolor pencils)

*

tea bag paper for my words

*

words mod-podged down

*

a little more gesso, color and doodling

*

just trying to be myself today

good tea tastes better (with a muffin top)

... good tea ...

.... tastes better ....

... with a muffin top ...

todays good tea:

Canadian Ice Wine Tea

a special gift from Jane at

Wilde Thyme Knits

thank you Jane!!!

* * *

for more "good tea," please do visit the blogs listed in my sidebar

(just below the teacup)

Tea on Tuesday Blogs

Art, Heart and Healing Journal - week 1

I first read about this online journaling class on Jan's ArtyATC Journey

The website is Willowing & Friends

and the class is called Art, Heart and Healing

Jan's first week's pages are great and she's so full of good things to say

... I thought I'd give it a go

The first week deals with your inner critic.

The point is to translate your inner critic's really bad and tacky way of communicating to you 

- mostly by put downs and abuse -

into what your inner critic might be really trying to say.

Usually it's going to be something protective and self-preservationist

... but not necessarily with the best advice 

... mostly it will be advice like: "QUIT!!"

So that's where you have to step in and weed out the good from the bad.

It was a really fun exercise ....

the class is free and Tammy is a great teacher.
Maybe I'll see you over there :)

Christmas?

If it's Halloween and Election Season

it must be almost Christmas

right?

... wrong.

But if you're in Penny's 12 Days of Christmas Matchbox Swap,

you're almost out of time!

I signed up for Eight Maids-a-Milking

and then got carried away with Christmas gift ideas

like these matchboxes (matches included)

to pair up with a candle.

Only problem:

you can't mail matches.

They are a hazardous substance.

yikes.

... so these will have to go to friends who are near - but not far.

Alas.

And all this Christmas crafting has me almost sick of Christmas - already!

Maybe I'll get in the mood when this bleeping election is over.

photo cards

I've added these photo cards to my etsy shop

... and these "encaustic" photo cards.

(encaustic photo technique HERE)

chore tea ...

... or chai tea?

I think I'll have the chai tea, thank you!

hmmmmmm!

"Masala Chai"

it says peppercorn on the list of ingredients

and I can taste a subtle kick of pepper

maybe that's what I needed to get these chores done

- a kick!

but first I'll have to put my camera down

and quit my lolligagging

***

... why don't you go lolligag with my tea friends listed in my Tea on Tuesday list in the sidebar?

and today's tea was brought to me (and you) by my friend Teresa and her tea company 4ceylontea.com

stitches in time

....the gulf spill quilt....

stitching inspired by my visits to:

ihannah