Monday, June 18, 2012

A Little Treat for the Book Group

I belong to a book group.
Most, but not all of the women are from our church.
We meet on the second Thursday of the month at each other's homes...
rotating every month. We discuss the book we've read for
that month and we have lunch provided by the hostess.
In August David & I host a cook-out for all of the Book Groupettes,
as my friend Anne refers to us, and our spouses.

Last week was the last get-together of our Book Group until September.

We are a fun-loving bunch of women (15 now!) 
I took my camera with me last week to snap some pictures and ended up having so much fun that the camera never came out of my bag. Oh my!
Over the summer, we don't have an assigned book to read, we just read for pleasure and then when we gather in September, we can each suggest a book for the coming year.
I love this group!
We have a good time, sure, but it's so much more than that.
We are like sisters, laughing together, praying for each other and sharing Christ-centered  fellowship.
I decided to make a book marker for each of the ladies. They can use it over the summer and then put the list of books we decide on for next year on the back.

I used all layered digital elements...playing with digital images is a lot of fun!

Our book for June was the one pictured, Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B Ross.
It is the first of a series and we all enjoyed it very much.
I already ordered the next few in the series from my favorite source
found HERE.
Half.com is a great place to show for used and sometimes new books.

Getting together once a month gives us a chance to share information
that is useful or fun. This is what I learned last week from Lois.
When you buy fresh berries (I had cherries), rinse them off and then
fill a large bowl with cold water and a small amount of vinegar.
(I used 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar)
Pour the fruit into the bowl and let it soak for a while.
Drain the fruit in a colander but don't rinse.
Line another bowl with a paper towel and dump the drained fruit
in the bowl. Refrigerate.

Doing this will keep the fruit about 3 times fresher than
just washing the fruit. Try it. The fruit does not have any taste
of vinegar, either.
Now I have a question for you. Do you take your own picture for your blog profile and Facebook?
My daughter-in-law is an expert at that
 hold-the-camera-away-from-you-and-take-your-own-picture thing.
I spent waaaay more time than I should have working on that today. I finally got so tired of looking at my own double chin and crow's feet that I gave up.
Maybe that's the trick...that 20+ year difference in our ages!!


Now if you really want to see some cute pictures...how 'bout these 2?

Charlie is 4 1/2 and Miles is 19 months.
We miss them lots!
xoxo
Joyce


Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Some Pre-Summer Randomness...

A few things showed up in my mail...or in my cart at Sam's Club this past week..
This gorgeous pillow cover from Dear Lillie...
(photo from the web-store here)
And here it is in our family room...

This is one of the 2 wing chairs we had reupholstered before Christmas. I bought them at a house sale 10? years ago and they and a matching ottoman were $75.
Here is a "before" picture...they were pretty tired

 I love them now...very neutral.
I also put the summer slipcover (a Pottery Barn steal on eBay a bunch of years ago) on the sofa, hung the summer quilt (this is not a handmade quilt but a manufactured Country Living throw. I just couldn't resist the colors!) and put out the garden pillows. The sweet little Home Sweet Home pillow was from my friend Marie, of Spun By Me.



  

I went to Sam's Club to buy a roasted chicken and these magazines jumped into my cart. When you
 are addicted to  enjoy magazines as much as I do, it's nice to get them at a big discount.
Are you enjoying all of the wonderful fruit that is showing up at the farm stores?
Our local farm, Soergels, had their wonderful strawberries when we stopped the other day..

OK-I guess that's enough yumminess for one week.

XOXO
joyce

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Collage Swap

Some friends and I recently completed a Bits & Pieces Collage Swap. There were 8 who participated, 4 pairs of partners. The challenge was to create an 8X8" art board or canvas collage for our partner incorporating their likes in terms of color and style. Everyone made wonderful works of art and if you follow the links at the bottom of this post, you can see them all.
 My partner was my blogging friend, Mary of Thyme To Spare.We have done some one-on-one swaps before and Mary has sent me lovely gifts over the years. She is a wonderful paper crafter and a good friend.
This is the beautiful canvas she created for me...






Mary knows that I like soft colors and the base of the canvas is painted and stamped.
Each little square is like a work of art...my favorite hydrangeas and peonies are featured in addition to pale pink seam binding, a nest and bird and bits of crocheted lace and buttons. Great care was taken in creating this piece and I will treasure it!
Mary also included some fun supplies...

Mary knows me pretty well don't you think?
Of course I had to chuckle when I saw the canvas at first because our tastes are very similar...
why we were good partners. I thought I would give you some step-by-step pictures
 showing how I created Mary's board...(feel free to run and get a snack and a cold drink)
First, the supplies are gathered...

the background of the board is vintage looking ledger paper.

The the scalloped squares are added....I don't measure, I just eyeball the placement
Then the fun of assembling begins...M is for Mary of course

Birds and nests


some vintage buttons and a vintage looking flower...


I used 3 images of garden fairies to represent Mary's 3 Granddaughters, printing them twice and making them dimensional...




So much fun to create...


Now on to the other swappers.
Please take time to visit the other ladies and feast your eyes on their collages.
Everyone did a wonderful job and I'm so happy to be friends with all of them!




Susie of South City Hues


Laurie at Laurie Star


Aren't they all wonderful?


xoxo
Joyce

Thursday, May 24, 2012

We Were Flocked! Yes, you read that correctly!

The Youth Group (teenagers), of our church, is trying to raise money to be able to attend an ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) Youth Gathering in New Orleans in July. (Why anyone would want to be in New Orleans in July is beyond me but I get it...I'm old)
Anyway, right now they are sneaking going around to homes in the parish and Flocking people....
Last Saturday evening, I was passing from the family room to the kitchen when a flash of pink in our front yard caught my eye! I went to the door and saw this crazy flock of flamingos planted there!
The way to get rid of eliminate  a flock of flamingos in your yard is to pay a donation to the Youth Group to have them taken away....and sent to some other unsuspecting yard. It was hard to give them up. They looked so cute and colorful in our freshly mowed lawn that I didn't want them to fly away.
Good Luck kids! We hope you raise lots of money for your trip!
(Is it fair that my husband has better legs than me???)
More pink!!!
Today I went out and cut some peonies before the rain comes and beats them down...

I LOVE peonies...they just don't last long enough for me!


xoxo
Joyce


Friday, May 18, 2012

Say it With Letters...the OOH LA LA Project

This is the latest Design Team Project for Say It With Letters.
I can't believe that we only have one more to go before our time is finished.
I will be sorry to see this end-I have enjoyed every project and challenge and Deb Damboise, the owner and Head Honcho at SIWL, is a dream to work with!
This month, we were each given a 12-inch Eiffel Tower shape. At first I wasn't sure what
to do with it...paint?...paper...? Oh yeah, I'm the paper person.
First, I traced and cut the tower shape using black scrapbook paper with French writing in white.
I used Mod Podge to adhere the paper to the tower.
Then, I decided to combine the French shape with my love of dress forms...VOILA!
(I'm trying to impress you with my command of the French language-oui?)


I tried several of my dress form stamps but didn't like the way a stamped image looked.
Ahhhh...Tim Holtz to the rescue! I used my Sizzix Tim Holtz Sewing Room Bigz die,
seen here, cut once using black cardstock and then carefully cut again using patterned paper.

I cut off the "stand" part of the form on the patterned paper piece, leaving just the "body" section.
Pure silk narrow ribbon in a dreamy pink was used at the waist as a sash and floppy bow.
Decorative hat/corsage pins were added as a final touch.
I added a copy of a vintage perfume bottle label behind the dress form
and a little pearl flourish.

What do you think?
I think this piece will be very much at home in my craft studio
 with all of the other "girls".
Tres Bien!

Please be sure to stop over to Say It With Letters and see the other
designers projects. Stacy has a cute baby gift tutorial using this same Eiffel Tower.
You can find an Eiffel Tower to call your own right here in Deb's Etsy shop

XOXO
Joyce



Sunday, April 15, 2012

Happy Sunday~

I have a hockey game to watch today but I wanted you to meet my new friends....
A lovely canvas found at TJ Maxx

I think this is meant to hold necklaces....

Her price had no influence on my attraction to her...

It just made the "score" sweeter...they will both go in my studio


xoxo
Joyce


Friday, April 13, 2012

The birds...not the Hitchcock variety!

I promised that I would show you what I did with the wooden birds...
First, I base-coated them with Ceramcoat's Oyster White acrylic paint...both sides.
Then I made a template by tracing one of the birds...

I free-handed the wing...
Both pieces were traced onto double-sided scrapbook papers...

I used Mod Podge to attach the papers to the birds. I Mod Podged the wings separately
 before attaching them to the body.
Buttons for eyes.


All but one flew away.

xoxo
Joyce

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails