tea tome

well, it's not really a "tome"

but it is to a kid

the book is "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

and the kid says she is a power reader

"I'm on page  231 mom!"

the tea is Montana Gold

there is nothing better than a really good book and an equally good cup of tea!

do you have a tea post for today?

put your link here and be sure to visit the other blogs that link here too

it's fun!

a long weekend

filled with a little bit of this

and a little bit of that

shifting gears and slowing down

a time to reflect on the brief but inexpressible gift of life

wishing you a good memorial day weekend

now, what to type?

having some fun today with photo transfers

and my new typewriter

:)

etsy has a new format

I made this 

(not the oil painting!) 

a few days ago and have been putting off

(yes, procrastinating)

listing it in my etsy shop

why?

it is such a hassle!

or I should say

-WAS-

etsy has a new

streamlined

time saving

easy

peasy

format for listing stuff

I love love love all those geeks behind the scenes

:)

tea and gifts

it's funny cuz I played in a chain e-mail a little over a week ago

it was called "moneybags"

it promised that if you forwarded the e-mail, in four days you would get all kinds of moolah oolah

I may have even sent that e-mail to you

:)

carefully packaged handmade goodies

well, I DID win Becca's giveaway on her blog

lavender sachets

(and I also won a raffle at the type-in last weekend)

mini-tart pincushion

some things are better than money

sweet tag and lace crochet

like handmade, beautiful and thoughtful gifts

:)

thank you Becca!!!

* * *

if you play tea on tuesday, I can't promise any "moneybags,"

but I can promise you will make some new friends :)

what saturday looks like

in between running errands

(well, it really was just trader joe's)

and taking kids to their various destinations

(dog show, birthday party, etc.)

I whipped out new lunchbags

(we lost 2 last week)

yeah, I'm just a super-mom right?

not really

everyone was feeling my pain

believe me

:)

photo transfer - 3 ways

I made the picture below using the photo transfer technique I describe HERE:

in this next picture, I have added colored pencil to enrich the image:

and then, I added beeswax, my all time favorite finishing product:

because of the large size (about 6X8) I couldn't dip it in beeswax

so I poured the melted beeswax over it

then, because it was an uneven coating,

I set it on foil and put in a 180' oven until the wax melted evenly over the whole thing

I scraped off some of the extra wax with a bone folder

and then buffed it with a rag

it really added the depth I was looking for

*

p.s. this a picture that was taken probably around 1945

it is my dad (on the left) and his brothers

cute, huh?!

I love how it turned out

:)

art all around us

pictures from our field trip yesterday

(an estuary in the puget sound: padilla bay)

tea and minor details

as I was having my morning cuppa,

I read over my previous post

and thought I was short on a few details about that so-called super easy box to make

o.k. - laugh at my book

it was FREE

on the FREE BOOKS shelf at my used bookstore

so detail number one is: 

use a book that you (or just about anyone else) won't be needing later

(if you needed this book - sorry, it's too late now)

next detail:

cutting the corners out is easiest done using crummy scissors that cut through ANYTHING

and then:

score your lines on the FRONT side of the book

(also, it WILL have an imperfect and ragged appearance - do NOT strive for perfection)

and lastly:

if you are covering the top edges like I did,

do it BEFORE assembling (folding) the box together

*

now, before you go looking for your local used bookstore and their shelf of free books,

put the kettle on and make yourself a nice hot cuppa

those old books aren't going anywhere

oh,

and thanks ever so for stopping by for tea!

I love it when you do!

(p.s. I'm on a school field trip today, so I'll stop by the blogs later on this afternoon)

***

an easy box to make

I made these small boxes out of old book covers.

They are the perfect size to organize small things that I also want to display.

Some of the odds and ends on our workdesks are quite beautiful in their own right.

They need a special container to show them off.

 you will need:

old book covers

a ruler

an x-acto knife

twine, ribbon or strips of fabric

(and I added paper folded and glued over the top edges to make them more "finished")

Welcome back ...

... Blogger/Blogspot. That was weird and I'm thankful for the invisible super smart guys who worked all night and most of two days to fix it!

(paint+paper)=(thread+fabric)

this was the watercolor I did a few weeks ago:

which I then transferred to fabric:

and now I've stitched it:

I used embroidery floss in several different colors

and edged it all around with teabag papers

I think I like it

:)

* * *

I also just realized that it's a summation of lots of peace work ...

the walk in the woods with my camera

+

taking the time in a hectic week to sit down and paint something

+

doing the "slow sew"

and, oh yeah,

the teabag papers came from lots of taking time for tea

"t" is for typewriter ...

... my new old typewriter that is.

I've been scouting around for one for a little while

and saw this blue one from the 60's.

I had to get it

I like the way my tea cup matches it

(Good Earth Tea - bracing and cozy all in one sip)

I'll be cleaning it,

first with rubbing alcohol and a stiff paint brush,

then I'll oil the gears.

It will be ready just in time for the Type-In downtown this weekend

(I hope it will be ready)

***

... and speaking of getting ready for something ....

I think these guys were getting ready all day ... all week ... all month ... all year

(senior prom kids .... the scene across the street on Saturday)

***

thanks for dropping by with your tea today

I love it when you do that

:)

the mending instinct

between the repairing of knees and jeans and hearts and stuffed bears

the mending pile tends to grow

... and I try to keep up ...

the patches cover rips

the tears leave scars

the holes are filled

the remembrances of broken things are soothed with stitches slow and steady

bright patches of color

covering the calamity

hope is handed back

freshly washed

neatly folded

ready to wear

*

Happy Mother's Day

to 

mothers, sisters, aunties, nannies, grandmothers

women with their piles of mending

and handfuls of hope