Starry Night Impressions

Beach time

2012-01-25T18:46:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

just wanted to show you my photos from my last trip to the ocean. I needed to spend the night somewhere so I could go to a family christmas dinner that night and I treated myself with a stay at a bed and breakfast victorian in Half Moon Bay. Of course I made sure to hang out on the ocean cliff for a bit and also peruse the town before I headed back off home to the mountains.

Enjoy the pics and I'll talk to you soon,

debbie

Isn't this a cute vacancy sign for the B & B

Breakfast in the parlor

On my way out to the ocean I drove out to a wonderful old salt box style house that is now opened to public tours, called The Johnston House.

I can just imagine all the family christmas dinners that were held here so long ago.

Now on to the ocean!

Walking through the field to see the sea

this beautiful heron greeted me

This view never ceases to amaze me


thank you Lord for a glorious day

Steampunk french style

2011-11-19T14:05:00.001-08:00

Hi all,
I am loving creating these steampunk french style cards, hope you like them too :)

and more to come!

blessings,
deborah

2011-08-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Today I received my French swap package in the mail and I just have to show it off to you!
I don't usually participate in swaps anymore because they take a bit of time to put together,but I couldn't resist this one because it was a French theme swap. My swap partner was Marsha of the etsy shop Sassyminidolls and she is a Francophile like me!!! And let me tell you I am soooo thrilled that I took part in this swap because I am overjoyed with the packages contents! Hope you enjoy seeing all my goodies and when you get a chance check out Marsha's shop.

It's here, it's here!

toile tissue paper, my fav!

Isn't this the cutest little pouch? I just love the lace and doilies!

sparkling eiffel tower and rustic old key, sooo cool!

lavendar buds and lace on french book pages

Ohhh, how I love this city!

french, french and more french, I am in love.

Soooo, now you can see why I am so thrilled. Merci beaucoup Marsha for such lovely Parisian treasures. You definitely brought a bit of France to my heart today.

Talk to you all soon,

35 years of love and laughter!

2011-07-02T23:19:00.000-07:00

cruising on the SF bay

Hi!
I know it's been a while but here I am.
Last weekend my husband and I celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary on a trip to San Francisco.
The weather was amazing and these photos tell it all.
Hope you enjoy them too.
deborah

It doesn't get much better then this.

him

her

Giants game at ATT park (and yes they won)

our view from the hotel, right across from the best hiking trails!

looking down towards Hwy 1

hiking along ocean trail

view from restaurant at lunch (Beach chalet)

the only old windmill left in the SF park

cruising under the golden gate bridge, quite an adventure

alcatraz island

San Francisco at it's best

Pier 39

Hippie Umbrella

2011-04-22T19:14:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist this beautiful umbrella for my deck! I saw it last year at the home and garden show in our area and lo and behold the little shop that carries it is going out of business so it was on sale!
Now if the weather would just cooperate so I could set it up and leave it, but spring is having her last hurrah with us in northern calif the last few days. Rain, hail, wind.....
But sunshine will arrive eventually and when it does I'll be sipping tea under the hippy umbrella enjoying the view,

deborah

Shabby chic is still alive and well !!!

2011-03-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

Come on in

I don't know about you but I still love the decorating style of shabby chic, and will for the rest of my days! There's just something so cool about peeling white paint that I really can't explain and come to think about it, if I have to explain then you wouldn't understand anyway, lol.

I recently heard about a wonderful shabby chic shop called "The Tattered House" which is about an hours drive from where I live, actually I'm kinda glad it takes a bit of a drive to get there because if this store was just down the block from me, I'd be in big trouble with my checkbook.
I actually have a vintage armoire cupboard on layaway right now and I can't wait to go back and get it soon.

I want one of each please!

So, if you are ever in the city of Roseville Calif. make sure you stop by and meet the wonderful ladies of the "The Tattered House". They will make you feel so welcome and are really fun to talk to and of course you won't be able to leave without purchasing some shabby chic style of your own for your home or a friend. Oh! I can't forget to tell you that they also hold a shabby chic street fair in April that I've heard is a vintage lovers heavenly event. I'm planning on going this year, so make sure you look for me, I'll be the one with my car piled to the roof with shabby chic treasures :)
Talk to you soon,
deborah

this room is a dream to walk into

Now this is what I call a great packaging presentation!

2011-02-28T18:17:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
I recently ordered a bottle of laundry soap from a wonderful company called la bouquetiere. I've used their powdered soap in the past but I had ordered it from a different vendor at that time so I thought I would directly order from them this time around and I have to say, I am so thrilled I did!

French toile and lime green tissue paper had me at the opening lol and then it got even better as I dug deeper into the box.

The only item I ordered was the bottle of liquid laundry soap in the upper right hand corner of the box and everything else were samples! The four different cards are darling and each have a free sample of one of their products in them. Tea, laundry soap, body powder, and the petite pots have a generous portion of wonderfully aromatic lotions in them.

I was so blown away from the packaging that I called the company up and just ohhhed and ahhhed and blabbered away about how pretty it all was etc. The woman who I was talking too, was giggling over my response and said " we try very hard to make everything beautiful". Well, in my opinion they outdid themselves and I'm glad they did.

I always try to make my customers packages special and pretty too, but this company has inspired me to kick it up even more with my own shop orders.

Thank you la bouquetiere for bringing such a joyful french surprise to my day!

Talk to you soon,

PS. Check out their website when you get a chance, you'll be happy you did

Finally! And the winner is.......

2011-02-17T13:20:00.000-08:00

Congrats,
to Janet of Janetsartplay on etsy!

Thank you Janet for entering my giveaway.
I hope you enjoy the Van gogh goodies and that the mini collage brings you joy and sunshine every time you glance at it.
Janet is also a mixed media artist, and when you get a chance make sure you check out her wonderful collages on her etsy shop. You'll love them.

I'll be having another blog giveaway when I reach my 200th blog follower and this one will be super duper, so I hope you all check back here now and then to see how it's going.

talk to you soon,
deborah

Van gogh giveaway sneak peek!

2011-01-16T15:07:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
Here's a little sneak peek of what you will win if I draw your name in the giveaway.

I'm working on the mini collage and as soon as it's done, I'll have the drawing!
Leave a comment if you haven't already on the previous post, and I'll add you to the list,
deborah

Van gogh, van gogh! Giveaway!

2011-01-10T17:33:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
Wednesday I am going on a journey to the De Young Museum in San Fransisco to see the exhibit "Van gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne and Beyond: Post Impressionist Masterpieces from the Musee de Orsay" in Paris.

For my birthday last year my son and daughter in law bought me tickets to go see the Impressionist exhibit and the Post Impressionist exhibit. The first exhibit "Birth of Impressionism" was amazing and I loved every beautiful masterpiece on display. The vibes in each exhibit room were filled with wonder and awe as the crowd took in each brushstroke of every painting. But this showing of paintings is making me extra anxious with anticipation because Van goghs masterpieces will be the prominent works of art on display.
No matter how many times I get to experience his paintings I never get enough, I have even started calling them "my Van goghs", lol.
My daughter in law is taking the tour with me also and I can't wait for her to experience the Van gogh wonder too!

(me at the Orsay in Paris)

There's just something magical about standing in front of the actual paintings that these wonderful artists created. To know that they stood right in front of each canvas and pondered each brushstroke, each color, just makes me swoon with joy.

I also thought it would be fun if I had a little giveaway so you too can participate in the fun. Just leave a comment and I'll be sure to include you in the drawing. Van gogh will be involved that's for sure :)
Talk with you when I get back,

Real books, I still love you!

2010-12-08T18:52:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
I love reading.

And I want all my "real books" to know that you will always be my first love, but I think I am going to really enjoy your competition.....

Fall is here

2010-11-14T16:44:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
Just a few pics of a bit of fall color in my yard, it's funny how such small joys can fill my heart with such comfort, hope you love the color too.

talk to you soon,

Ocean blues

2010-10-13T20:37:00.000-07:00

Hi all, now you understand why we didn't want to leave!

View from our deck, felt like we were on a ship!

View from our bedroom corner window.

Words can't express the beauty and awe,
talk to you soon

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to the ocean I go!

2010-09-30T19:25:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
By the time you all read this I will be sitting on the mendocino coast watching the waves roll in and out and
hoping the fog will also be rolling out but not in, lol.
For the next week my days will be filled with sea air, sunsets, grandchildren and family, the best things of life.
I'll be back soon with lots of tide pool and sea foam photos,

Paris frame of mind

2010-09-17T13:36:00.000-07:00

Hi all, of course those who know me well, know that I am always in a Paris frame of mind, lol.
But today even more melancholy for my wonderful city of lights.
So I will sit with my cup of hot chocolate today and dream.....

talk to you soon,

Art and the City!

2010-08-28T15:52:00.000-07:00

view from treasure island

Hi all,
My trip to San Francisco last week was amazing!
The views, the ocean, the art...... should I say more?
And I didn't even mention the Giants game at one of the most picturesque ball parks in America!
(which they won by the way)
It was a bit bizarre though with a temperature of 98 degrees, which San Franciscans are not prepared for at all! We actually had been hoping for a bit of fog but none was to be found, lol.
But plenty of blue sky, gorgeous sparkling water and sweet scented sea air filled our senses to perfection and that is a keeper.
Enjoy the photos,

gorgeous!

georgia o'keefe

chihuly, amazing glass artist!

so romantic

waters edge towards alcatraz

att park

my fav player on the giants, andres torres

And the winner is.....

2010-08-22T21:42:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Joann in New York!
I've always wanted to visit that big city and to know that my little package is on it's way there is exciting, makes me feel like a bit of me is going there too :)
Joann also has a blog and it's called "vintage dragonfly", so when you get a chance, fly on over there and check out her posts, you'll be happy you did.
Enjoy the lavendar Joann,

Lavendar fields forever and giveaway! I'll pick a winner Saturday, the 21st.

2010-08-06T14:51:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Hope you enjoyed my last post all about tags and the great shops on etsy that were featured, if you've never created any on your own, just try it sometime. They are pretty quick, simple and fun. And when you need a gift tag for that someone special, voila! you are ready to go :)

Now on to the Lavendar!!!

And yes I know the common spelling of lavendar usually is spelled with "er" at the end. And I guess now in our modern age, it is considered obsolete to spell it with the "ar" spelling, but myself and many others are trying to bring the romantic old world spelling back, so lavendar with an "ar" it is for me.

Last weekend my daughter Juliet and I visited some of our family who live in Mt. Shasta, California and one of our excursions for the day was to visit the near by lavendar farm, and what a lovely excursion we had.
The trip from their house is about 20 minutes away up through the winding roads of open range dotted with mountain brush and livestock with Mt. Shasta looming over the land, still topped with winter snow on it's peaks. Beautiful.
Arriving at the farm is magical, and as we stepped out of the car, the warmth of the day and the light breeze blowing over the valley caused the lavendar aroma to permeate our spirits and our senses full force. We all stopped and took in a deep breathe! Wonderful !
And on top of that, the view was breath taking as well!

Mt. Shasta juts up into the background sky and the valley view of farms and landscape alongside of rows and rows of lavendar stopped us all in our tracks as we paused and took in the moment.
The owners of the farm have done a lovely job of bringing an European touch with the villa inspired shop and a gorgeous water fountain. For a moment I actually thought I was back in France!
We got to pick our own lavendar to take home, which was such a treat and ice cold Lavendar lemonade was served to all the visitors, delicious!!!
The farmers were also harvesting the lavendar into oil while we were there visiting and they told us that they only get 6 gallons of lavendar from the whole field each year! Now I know why lavendar oil is a bit pricey.
But well worth it :)

Hope you enjoyed the lavendar farm excursion and the photos, and in honor of such a wonderful trip I am having a lavendar giveaway! Just leave a comment on my blog and your name will be entered into the drawing. I'll include a bit of the lavendar that I picked and some other fun lavendar inspired goodies.
blessings,

Tags and more tags!!!

2010-07-21T18:22:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Some of my etsy friends are really in the tag making mode lately and I just had to do a post today on some of my favorites. Hope you like them too, and if you do, run over to their etsy shops and check out more.

Here's one of my favs! It's created by GaGa4GiftTags and I definitely am gaga over this shops tags. You may know the creator as SouthernLadysVintage. I just love how Miss Southern combined the image and the fabric flower on the same tag. Gorgeous!!!

Another shop that I love is "avintageobsession". This etsy shop is filled with handmade teddybears, vintage pocket watches and much more and the tags lately are sooooo cute. Like this french themed tag included with a bit of green French ribbon! Isn't it wonderful? This is a hard one for me to resist, lol.

This next shop is driving me crazy with all it's french inspired creations lately and this collage art tag is no exception. It's from the shop called "tinybeardk". I totally love the frayed fabric and the stitching around the image. Now this is a tag I would keep for myself! No giving it away on a gift, lol.

This next shop, "ducttapeanddenim" always brings a smile to my face when I visit, and I love how they use vintage photo images in many of their creations. This is a set of Christmas tags (yes, that time of year is coming up quickly, lol) using the sweetest photo image of little children. Beautiful!

That's just a few of the glorious tags I've been seeing lately. If you are interested in seeing more just go to Etsy and type in tags in the selection box. My team is the cottagestyle team, so if you type cssteam into the selection box it will come up only tags from the cottage team.

Happy tagging,

Train trip to Utah

2010-06-30T18:55:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
If you want to take it slow and easy on your next trip, then take the train. I just recently traveled this way on my trip to visit relatives in Utah and even though it was alot of sitting (12 hours) there's just nothing like traveling by the rail. I happily snagged a window seat going both ways and was able to take wonderful photos through the train window. There's not much to see going through Nevada but the ride through the Sierras is amazing and Salt Lake was pretty cool too. I love how on the train everyone is so low key, and there's no checking of your id or what's in your luggage and you can bring all the food and drink you need on board. And if you don't bring your own food there's a cafe and also a reserved seating diner. There's also a observation car that is total windows and has tables so you can play cards or games.
The train host and hostesses are constantly walking down the isles, so it feels pretty safe and there's tons of leg room and huge seats to sit in!
So if you ever need a bit of stress free travel and you also have the time, I highly recommend the rail.
Here are some of my photos, maybe they'll inspire you to take a trip sometime.
talk to you soon,
deborah

It's a "Where bloggers create" party!

2010-06-19T18:00:00.000-07:00

Hi to all fellow bloggers and wonderful readers!

Today is the "where bloggers create" party and I am so excited to be a part of this amazing group of artists that also blog.
My space at this moment in time is creating at my family room table and all my supplies are stored in my closet.
I also have an ~~old~~ vintage trailer on our property where I store various objects that will one day be restored into treasures. (at least that's what I try to convince my family of, lol)
And if you are a regular reader of my blog you will remember a couple of posts back that my hubby is in the process of building me my very own studio, separate from the house.
But for now it's at my table :)
Hopefully this blogging event today will bring to all of you the knowledge that creating is possible anywhere!

Whether it's at a dining room table, in a closet, in a studio, a living room corner, a spare bedroom etc. if you have the desire to create you can make it happen.

Enjoy my creating space photos and happy blogging to you all,

The above pics are inside of my trailer, I bet some of you would love to dig around and find the good stuff!
I also have my rubber stamp collection in here.

This is where I sit and create for now, the chair to the right is exactly where I sit to create magic :)

The closet!

There is some organization, at least to my eye :) and the last photo is my future studio space. This will be my view, out to my garden and many gorgeous sunsets.
Hope you enjoyed the photo shoot.

2010-06-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Just wanted to show you my birthday card vignette on display in my front room. Don't you love cards? I sure do. And the lovely flowers from my son add to the beauty of it all. Hmmmm, I wonder what this coming birthday year will bring? I predict lots of joy, creativity and family, here's to many more bdays :)

Art Studio has begun!

2010-05-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
My studio space has begun!
We had to sacrifice a tree for the breaking of ground, but the wood from the cut will be the start of our wood supply for this winter, so it did not give it's life in vain :)
Having my very own designated space for all my art endeavors has been a dream of mine for very many years and to see it coming to fruition is exciting and joyous.
As you can see the hard labor has begun and my contractor (aka: husband) knows how to clear a space with gusto! He has always been one of my biggest fans of my artistic dreams and I am over the moon with his love for me that he would fulfill this dream for me. I'll try to remind him of this as he labors on the many days to come of nailing and cutting, lol.

Stay tuned for updates on the progress, and there may even be a open house giveaway when it's all finished!!!

talk to you soon,

Sunshine, flowers and the sea

2010-05-22T23:38:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Recently I got the chance to spend an afternoon in the lovely sea side town of Half Moon Bay and I couldn't resist taking a few photos of all the blooming flowers around the neighborhood. There's just something so soothing about the mix of sunshine, flowers and the sea air that fills ones soul and I thought I'd share a bit of that joy with you too on this late spring weekend.

I love this purple house hidden within the white roses.

Here is where I sat at the end of the day, overlooking the ocean, with the wind in my hair and the sound of the crashing waves filling my soul with amazing joy of how God cares for each and every one of us and loves us with a never ending love.
Blessings to you,
deborah

Meet my sweet online friend, Mrs. Kwitty!

2010-05-18T15:22:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Don't you all just love the blogger world? Well, I know I do because I have met some of the most wonderful people online and one of them is my friend Karen, creator of the darling etsy shop called misseskwittys.
She was actually one of my 100 blog follower winners and lo and behold I was her winner on her blog post celebrating her 4 year etsyversary! And let me tell you, I was sooo excited to win because her creations are super cute and I couldn't wait to see them in person. And when my pkg. arrived in the mail it was so fun!
The items were packaged in a hot pink colored box (which I think she created too!) and wrapped in a darling pink and red heart tissue paper.
Talk about an amazing seamstress, Karens handiwork is perfection, and now my business cards are totally protected as they sit in my purse waiting for me to whip them out at any given moment, lol. Of course the "for someone special" tag with all the gorgeous ribbon and trim made me ohhh and ahhh and the little birdie and gift tags are just so cute. Thank you Karen for such a lovely gift as well as your lovely friendship!

talk to you all soon, deborah

.

And the winners are.......

2010-05-04T17:49:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Thank you so much for all of your lovely comments and participating in my blog giveaway!
I put all of your names in one of my vintage strawberry baskets and picked out 4 of you for the individual pkgs and one of you for the grand prize collage.

So without further ado, the winners are:

Bailiwickstudio (Ephemera pkg.)
Joyanna (Vintage Linen pkg.)
Littlethings1 (Vintage items pkg.)
Mrs.Kwitty (Tea fun pkg.)

And the Grand prize winner of the French inspired Collage is Artsnark!!!
Enjoy your goodies, I hope they bring you inspiration and fun.

To everyone, I want to say thank you for following my blog and I hope my words bring you joy and also sometimes cause you to pause and ponder.
Talk to you soon,
deborah

Whooohooo, you have put me over the top!!!

2010-04-22T17:50:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Today is a huge event for me and you are all the reason why!
Because of you I have hit my goal of having 100 blog followers and I am sooo excited. Of course when I started this blog adventure I never dreamed that I would have 10 followers let alone 100! To think that anyone would take the time out of their busy day or night to read my blogging words just boggles my mind and humbles me all at the same time. And to celebrate I thought a blog giveaway would be the perfect way to say thank you!
All you have to do is leave a comment telling me which giveaway pkg you would like to receive the most and I will put your name onto the list for that pkg.
There are four catagories:
Vintage pkg.
Tea pkg.
Ephemera pkg.
Linen pkg.
And for the grand prize which is a one of a kind french inspired collage, all of your names will be included.
Hope that makes sense, lol.
So there will be 4 separate winners and then one winner who will also win the collage. So actually you have two chances to win!
Heres are the photos of the pkgs. with a little explanation of their contents. The grand prize collage is still in creation at the moment so it will not be shown until I announce the winners.
I will announce the winners on May 1st!

Linen fun. Two hand embroidered pillowcases, a hand embroidered peacock hankerchief, vintage yellow tassel trim and a pkg. of vintage blue ric rac.

Ephemera (old paper lol)! Vintage sheet music, vintage french book pages, wallpaper, fruit label, paper bag and advertisement from my last Paris trip, vintage women's digest booklet, vintage playing card.

Tea time! A box of my fav french tea, teacup note pad, frilly candy cup basket, I love tea button, one of my teapot magnets.

Vintage finds! Very old ornate frame, tin candy molds, vintage poker chips, retro buttons, cool old bottle, weathered old strawberry basket.

Good luck everyone and thank you again for making my blogging goal come true :)
deborah
PS. Anyone can sign up for the giveaway, you don't have to be a follower, I'm an equal opportunity blogger :)

100th blog follower giveaway fun!

2010-04-21T17:25:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Just wanted to give you a sneak peek at some of the giveaways that will be happening here on my blog as soon as I reach my 100th blog follower!
I decided to have 4 categories and then a grand prize also.
Soooo, keep watching for the upcoming fun,
deborah

What did I do now?

2010-04-12T12:46:00.000-07:00

Hi all, I don't know what I did to my blog this time, but I noticed that my last post didn't post it's entirety on the front page. It says "read more...." and my readers must click on it to see the rest of the post, so no pic is out on the front either. I don't know if it's something I did and can't remember how I did it, lol, or if blogspot is changing things up on me, so I am writing this to see if this happens again. And since it's such a rainy stormy day here in Calif today I'm displaying a photo of my garden pond from last year. I can't wait to fill it up with fresh colorful flowers again.
talk to you soon,
deborah

Huge giveaway coming!

2010-04-10T22:26:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
I'm getting really close to my 100th blog follower and I am soooo excited about it.
When I do hit the magical number I will announce my big giveaway. Here's a sneak peek of what it will entail!
Talk to you soon, deborah

The neighborhood.

2010-04-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

a couple of weeks ago, my hubby and I took a walk around our local town and this victorian house with it's worn iron gate just caught my eye.

Oh the history this gate could tell.....

debbie

French cows!

2010-03-23T15:16:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
I'm just in a french state of mind today and wanted to post a few pics of my past Paris memories. I don't know about you but I never get tired at looking at french country sides or architecture or even the Eiffel tower. For me, there's such romance and artistry in all aspects of the french way of life, whether it's from their vibrant painted doors and window shutters or just the every day goings on of parisian life, it all is just so tres magnifique!
I don't know why but I fell in love with these white french cows (I bet you didn't know that there are french cows, lol) on one of our day trips to the french countryside one afternoon. If anyone to this day asks me what one of my fav memories of our trip was, I will without a doubt say it was the up and close encounter of these darling cows. They all had bells around their necks and when we walked up to the fence they all strolled over and gave us the sweetest stares!! The pic of me smelling the roses was in the garden of the amazing sculptor Rodin. And last but not least is the sunset of the Eiffel tower from the banks of the Seine river.
What more can I say?

Talk to you soon,
deborah

And the winner is.....

2010-03-12T17:27:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
Yes, it is finally the time to post my press kit giveaway winner! I filled the teapot up with all of your lovely names and the name that rose to the top is.....
Barbara from Southern Lady's Vintage!!!
Barbara is one of the sweetest ladies you could ever meet and if you haven't ever visited her etsy shop, you really should hop on over there and check out all her wonderful vintage goodies and beautiful gift tags that she creates.
Congrats Barbara, I will be sending out your little package soon and I hope it brings you a teacup full of joy and sweetness just like you bring to all of us :)

Thank you to all of you who took the time to leave a comment and for all of your lovely words you gave to me. They were all truly a gift!
Please don't be too disappointed that I didn't draw your name, because I will be having more giveaways and you never know whose name will rise to the top of the pot next time.
In fact, when I hit my 100th blogger reader (I'm only 20 away) I will have a super duper giveaway with many winners, so stay tuned and keep on blogging!!
Talk to you soon,
deborah

It's a giveaway!

2010-03-08T15:00:00.001-08:00

Hi all,
I have been wanting to post a giveaway for a while now so here we go!! I was going to give a teacup package giveaway when I launched my Traveling Teacups business but that adventure is a bit on hold right now so I thought why not stick with the teacup theme anyway? So that's what I am going to do.
This giveaway is inspired from the press kits I have been making for the Petticoats and Parasols event in Georgia on April 22nd. Sadielouwho from Lollishops sent out a call to her lollis asking if anyone would like to make up press kits for giveaways to the Petticoats and Parasol attendees and of course I said a happy Yes! I put together 11 packets and one of them will go to one of my lovely readers :)
You will receive a teacup crepe paper tag, a pink movie ticket stub tag and one of my petite teapot magnets! And my special winner also will receive a vintage button that is attached to the front of the package on the lace trim.
All you have to do is leave me a comment and I will announce the winner this Friday March 12th.
Talk to you soon,
deborah

French Market

2010-03-01T17:44:00.001-08:00

Hi all,
I just joined up on the website The French Cupboard! I have always wanted to be a part of this site but couldn't afford the full membership so I was sooo thrilled when I came across their new section just for us etsy sellers. It's a seasonal membership and I signed up for the spring time slot, which runs from March 1st til May. Here's the etsy shop page called "French barn". If you see an item you like just click on it and it will take you to the etsy shop that sells it. There are many lovely shops on the French Cupboard site and if you are a lover of all things french, vintage and shabby chic then make sure you stroll on by onto the cobblestone pages of this wonderful french village and peruse to your hearts content, you'll be so happy you did.
Here are a few of my favs : The Petite Maison, Noelle Garrett Designs, My Painted Porch, and Counting Your Blessings. Happy shopping :)

talk to you soon,
deborah

My latest french creation.

2010-02-23T21:37:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
I have to show you my latest french creation. It's made out of a biodegradable flower pot and then transformed into a french container. Of course I added tulle and natural fabrics, like burlap and linen and then added a bit of pom pom trim and fleur de lis stamped imprints. And last but not least I added a vintage black gorgeous button that was difficult for me to let go of, lol.
Then a bit of tarnished silver glitter to each fleur de lis for a hint of bling.
Enjoy the french vibe,
deborah

I love bloggers!

2010-02-17T12:36:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
Just wanted to give a shout out to the blog "bridal gown". Kerrie the author is a real sweetie pie and she showcased my petite tussie mussies on her post the other day. A couple of months back I created a bunch of frilly girly petite paper cones for her daughters 3rd birthday party and she posted pics of them and wrote wonderful words on her blog that made my heart sing with joy. It really inspires me to create even more when someone gives such positive feedback to my creations. Constructive criticism is needed at times too, but the positive works everytime!!! So thank you Kerrie for the lovely words and much success to your bridal blog.
talk to you all soon,
deborah

French shopping and the ocean!

2010-02-12T15:01:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
a couple of weeks ago on my way to the bay area for a Dr.appt. I got a chance to visit the ocean for a day. Of course I had to do a bit of shopping on my way to the sea, lol, and much to my surprise I happened upon a little french shop called "The Posh Moon".The owner of the shop, Carol, said it was the first day that the sun had shown for awhile and everyone was in such a happy fun mood everywhere I went. I fell into easy conversation with the owner of the shop, because she also is a lover of all things french. Her little store is just filled with french style clothing and Paris decor. I had to really hold my self back from going on a shopping spree because it was all so beautiful. During our conversation, Carol talked about how she had hosted Paris trips to France with a small group of women in years past and I almost fainted, lol. She said she had recently been wanting to get together another Paris trip and before she could speak anymore I breathlessly asked if she had a sign up list that I could get on! She was so thrilled that I would be interested and took my name and number to add to her french adventure list. One of my dreams is to go to Paris with someone who speaks french and since I don't seem to be grasping the language myself, lol, this would be the perfect opportunity for me to fulfill that dream. So we'll see what happens and I'll start saving my money! Here's a pic of Carol and I in her shop and the quaint little seaside street.

Then on to the Sea! I took a long walk along the ocean cliff and breathed in the sweet sea air with each step. The sun was starting to set through the clouds and the sparkle of the water tickled my eyes with joy and serenity. I feel Gods presence so powerfully when I stare at the waters. No doubt in my mind or soul that He exists and cares for me and each one of us with each wave that crashes onto the sandy shore. Which reminds me of this Bible scripture in Psalms 17 and 18 that says "How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand....". And with that thought I will leave you with views of the ocean and hopefully the knowledge of how much he cares for you!
talk to you soon,
deborah

Front page of Etsy!

2010-02-02T13:34:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
I got a lovely surprise from Etsy on Monday! My Victorian box was featured in a front page treasury created by the shop Cottageinthesun. For those of you who don't really peruse the etsy site, front page features are really difficult to get, but Miss Cottage persevered and created a group of photos that caught the Etsy gods eye and her lovely treasury became a front page star!!
And to top it all off, someone from Australia saw the feature and snatched my little box right up!
I want to give a big shout out "thank you" to Miss Cottage and also send you over to her shop to
see all her wonderful vintage tin creations. She uses salvaged antique and vintage 1800s to 1900s tin ceiling tiles to create various shapes to fit anyone's style and decor. I actually had her custom make a fleur de lis shape for me last year and it is sooooo beautiful with all it's vintage character. I bought it so I could put it out in my garden but it sits in my Paris room at the moment and may never make it outside :)
So when you get a chance, check out her shop, you'll be happy you did.
Talk to you soon,
deborah

Blogger heaven going on!

2010-01-25T17:20:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
There's a blogging event going on right now that will put all of you blog addicts into a tail spin!
It's being hosted by Lisa on her blog A whimsical bohemian. She is actually the creator of this whole blogging event. She started it in 2007 and her whole premise is to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet. The event is called "One World, One Heart" and really is an amazing adventure. Every blog that is involved is having a giveaway so make sure you skip on over to her site and check out the list of blogs participating. You'll never be able to get through them all, but the ones you do get to will keep you flying high for days. And who knows maybe you'll be one of the lucky winners of a wonderful giveaway too.
Talk to you soon,
deborah

French box on etsy voter article!

2010-01-14T13:22:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
Just had to write about my french box getting in the Etsy storque article today!
I always wonder if this whole online world really is for real, and when something like this happens, it confirms to me that it really is, lol.

talk to you soon,
deborah

This is for you mom!

2010-01-06T20:10:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
Hey, I know, it's been awhile since I've blogged but
after reminding myself of the mantra "blogging without obligation" I am proceeding without excuses, lol.
This blog post is for my mom today because lately she has been thinking about butterflies and I remembered that I had taken some photos of this gorgeous creature last summer as it swooped in and out of my garden fluttering and landing on this beautiful lilac flower.
I took a chance by getting up to get my camera to take these pics and sure enough it was still there, almost as if it was waiting for me to photograph it and capture it's beauty with my lens.

Thanks mom for the inspiration, debbie

Paris memories

2009-12-17T17:11:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
I'm just in a Paris state of mind today (well, every day really lol).
Thought I'd spread a little eiffel tower vibes your way too.
deborah

It's Christmas time!

2009-12-02T23:13:00.000-08:00

Hi all, time for a new background, don't you just love the candy cane colors?
Now all I have to do is get out all the Christmas decorations, set up the tree, hang the outside lights and start shopping, lol.
Here's to getting it all done before Christmas eve!
deborah

NCCS Charity Auction has begun

2009-11-16T13:54:00.000-08:00

Hi all, just wanted to let you know that the charity auction for the National Children's Cancer Society is up and running on ebay now.
The date is Nov 15- Nov 22. Here's the ebay link so you can check it out. Jewel of Shabby Boutique has done such a wonderful job of coordinating the event and also has such a touching personal story behind the reason why she has such a sweet place in her heart for NCCS. If you'd like to bid on any of the items, it would be soooo great and would be a wonderful way to start the holiday season of giving :)
Talk to you soon,
deborah

Cloth bags revolution!!!

2009-11-11T18:27:00.001-08:00

Hi all, my new mantra is "Where's your cloth bags"!?

I finally have gotten into the routine of using only cloth bags for my shopping trips. And I will even run back to the car to retrieve them in my hurriedness to get into the store.
Really, there's no reason to use plastic anymore! I encourage you all to do the same.
I will admit though that once in a while I do ask for plastic so I can reuse them in my trash cans at home but that is a rare request!
I was reading an article in Body and Soul magazine the other day on the statistics on plastic bag usage etc. and this one line just caught my attention and made me really think about what I am doing by using plastic. It said "on average, we use a plastic bag for 12 minutes; it will persist in the landfill for 1,000 years".
That statement just struck me straight to the heart! and made such an impression on me that I decided then and there to stop using plastic bags. The alternative? Cloth or if the occasion warrants it, carry out the product in my bare hands!!! lol, what a concept!
Of course, my hands can only hold about 2 items at a time so cloth is much more practical.
So, I went searching on etsy for shops that create and sell cloth bags and the list is amazing. If you want practical or pretty or even the two combined then there is a bag out there that is just for you. Here are a few of the shops that I thought were really fun and totally worth the look.
This simple shabby ma rket bag from j lquilts is really cute. It's machine washable and ready to carry all your items in style!
Here's another shop on etsy that is worth the look Mrs. Kwitty's her creations are really feminine and light and perfect for the girly girl in all of us, here's one of my favs in her shop, it's the love bird bag, soooo cute!
and if you want to make a statement then you might like these bags from byorderofthecrown, and last but not least and the bag that I think would totally update my shopping style is this gorgeous bag from Joyanna and it's called the Nichole bag! now that's shopping in style :)

So there you have it , a few links to get you started, hope they bring you inspiration and causes one less plastic bag in the landfill.
talk to you soon,
deborah

Love and hope charity event auction!

2009-11-05T17:22:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
A few months back a bit I had posted about a charity event that would benefit NCCS, National Children's Cancer Society. And I wanted to let you know that it will be happening the week of November 15th -22nd on ebay.
Just click on this link "Little angels altered book charity" and it will give you info on how the whole idea came about and how you can bid on the auction if you would like. There's also a slide show on it so you can preview the artists pages. Of course, it is difficult to really see the beauty of the pages online but it will give you an idea of the contents.
I am so humbled to have been included in this altered book and my wish is that it's contents will bring much joy to the soon to be owner and that great things will be done with the proceeds towards finding a cure for all cancers, especially those that effect children.
Talk to you soon,
deborah

Apples and more apples

2009-10-19T16:08:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Just had to show you our apple harvest for the year.
We only have one apple tree but when it produces it does an amazing job! Last year, nothing! but this year a super huge crop and lo and behold the bugs pretty much left the apples alone this year too, so more apples for us!!! My hubby picked all of these yesterday and put them in this metal bin. My garden is in the background and it had just rained so the air was sooooo fresh. Can't you just smell the apples?
Now how to use them, lol. I've made apple pies (more to come) and applesauce and I've given bags full away to relatives but still there are so many left......
Any ideas? Talk to you soon, deborah

Teacup cuties

2009-10-14T22:57:00.001-07:00

Hi all,
I just have to show off my latest creations and of course they are tea related :)
Not too long ago I brought home a bag of some vintage poker chips thinking to myself that surely I could come up with something creative to do with them and then the other day I came up with these. Teapot magnets! Don't they remind you of mini tea cakes?
I love the whole idea of recycling or repurposing items and these do just that. Hope you like them too.

Talk to you soon,
deborah

2009-10-12T17:25:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
I'm feeling nostalgic for Paris today.
I seem to always go there in Sept. and October so here's a little peek of Paris past.

Just a few of my fav spots in the city of lights, the Louvre, Notre Dame, The Eiffel Tower, and walking along the Seine.
And there I am waiting for the flight.

Talk to you soon,
deborah

Harmony

2009-10-08T14:47:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
I ran across a quote today while I was reading an article titled "life on my terms" in the latest issue of Body + Soul magazine and thought I'd share it with you all.

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."

I like that way of thinking, because happiness is not something that just floats through the air and once in a while lands on our shoulders, I think it really is something that we create in our lives. How we respond to others and what we choose to do with those responses, really do shape our hearts and minds. I'm not saying it's always easy, but when we do those three things together, think, say and do, in harmony, life can be a whole lot kinder.

talk to you soon,
deborah

Frog in the pond

2009-10-01T18:42:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
I was watering my flowers around my small pond the other day and this cute little frog decided he had had enough of the rainstorm that I was imposing onto him so he jumped out onto this rock and I had to quickly get my camera and take a photo.
Isn't he cool looking? I've never really seen a white frog before and wanted to give you all a peek too.

talk to you soon, deborah

It's all about the teaparty!

2009-09-26T16:42:00.001-07:00

Hi all, do you have a little time for tea?

Thursday I served my first "Traveling Teac ups" tea party and it was sooooo much fun!

My friend Judy let me come to her amazing home and give a practice run. I set up the table outside on the deck and it all looked so wonderful.
There were four of us and we had the nicest time chatting, drinking tea and tasting all the yummy goodies.

I'm not quite ready to launch my official kick off yet, there's still a little bit of tweaking to do to get it just how I want it, but it's getting close, so stay tuned because when I do I'll also be having a blog giveaway for one of you sweet blogger friends to take home for your very own tea party.

Talk to you soon,
deborah

Living the life of the rich and famous!

2009-09-14T19:25:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Yes, I still blog, lol! Just alot going on in the fam right now, but I'm back and raring to go! My hubby and I are on vacation for a few days and we are having such a wonderful time. We rented a house in Placerville that has a super amazing view, swimming pool, hot tub and the house is gorgeous!! We are truly feeling like we are rich and famous :) Here are a few photos for you all to see.
That's it for now, I'll have more later.
Talk to you soon,
deborah

I'm ready to paint my wall

2009-08-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

Hi all, okay, the project has begun. It is really just a small project but I have been meaning to do this for a couple of months now. I have one wall in my living room/dining room area that I want to repaint and redecorate. And for my birthday I picked out this gorgeous old shabby chic head board at a local shop that has been made into a blackboard, as my gift (thank you mom and dad). I'm actually staying with my signature color of Creamy Brie for the wall because I already have the opposite wall painted in a golden yellow faux finish and I don't want to compete with that so......
I should be finished with the painting in a few hours so I'll leave you all with the beginning photos here and then later I'll post the finished results. Wish me luck, lol.
talk to you soon,
deborah

Blooming flowers in my garden

2009-08-12T16:57:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
I was just out in my front yard garden watering the plants around my little pond and lo and behold one of my late summer flowers was in full bloom. I've been keeping an eye on it for the last week because the pods are getting huge and I could tell that any day now they would open up and announce their glory and sure enough they didn't disappoint.
I don't even know the name of the plant! I planted it last year when we had just put the little pond in and it was beautiful. The tag had said it was a perennial so I hoped for the best that it would survive our winter snow and sure enough it did! Then on my birthday my sweet hubby gave me a fountain to add to the pond and it added just the right feel to the whole yard.
Also our trailing vine over our gate arch is showing its color. Last year was it's first year and it only blossomed a couple of flowers but this year it is more established and is giving us an abundance of red trumpet flowers!
I am getting such joy from our little pond. It is not very big but we added gold fish last year too, sadly not very many survived but a hardy handful but they make me smile whenever I sit at the ponds edge and watch them swimming here and there looking for their daily food. The bees also fly in and out sipping their fill of cool water. Such simplicity and calm in such a crazy mixed up world.
Hope you enjoy the garden photos.
Talk to you soon,
deborah

Back to my usual posting!!!

2009-08-10T12:03:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

I am still trying to figure out this photo editing thing and cannot for the life of me get it right!!!
So I will leave it all behind for now and just post my regular way!

Last week I entered one of my collages into the local fair and I wanted to show you all what the collage looks like.
Lately sunflowers have been permeating my vision everywhere I go. So, I decided to create a sunflower piece and called it "ode to van gogh".
I really like how it turned out and hope that the fair goers enjoy it too.

I used a bright blue for the background because van gogh loved his blues and then added some crackle over yellow ocre to give it a peeling vintage look.
I also added tiny glass beads to the centers of the stamped sunflowers and loved how it came out! Kind of looks like real seeds.
The main sunflower is made out of vintage wallpaper pieces and a bit of corrugated paper and then I added a fringe tassel, fluffed up, for the center of the sunflower.
The stem is a piece of olive green vintage fringe.
and of course I couldn't stop myself from adding a few vintage buttons here and there!!! lol

That's my van gogh inspired collage! Hope you enjoyed the photos and maybe next post I'll get the photo issue settled, ha!
Talk to you soon,
deborah

Excuse my insanity post!

2009-08-05T19:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, as you see there is nothing here on this post, that's because I cannot for the life of me figure out how to use picnik or picassa on my blog, soooo......
empty space is all I can figure out at the moment, lol

talk to you soon,
deborah

French dress form lovelie, my newest creation

2009-08-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Here's my latest dress form creation! It's all about the French, oooh la la.

and more to come.....
on Glitter & Grunge
deborah

My new lovelies!

2009-07-30T15:47:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Oh my goodness, I haven't blogged for a week! Have you noticed?
It's always a toss up of spending time on the computer or creating at my art table. I guess that means that the art table won over the computer this last week, lol.

I've recently joined up with a online selling site called "Glitter and Grunge". I met the owners when I had gone to the ZNE retreat back in March. So, I checked into their site and I love it! So now I have a shop on there called Starrydeborah the same name as my etsy shop, but I sell different items then on etsy. I started a line of dress form lovelies that will be my main focus on G & G.
Mainly french themed dress forms, but foo foo kinds too, lol. Some of the forms will be stand alone designs and some will be attached to containers.
They are one of a kind creations and take a bit of time to make them but I am loving them!
I start off with a cut out wooden shape that I order from a great shop on etsy called "popalicioustoo". And then I just start creating from there.

Hope you like seeing my little works of art.
I'll be making many more designs as time goes on and if you get a chance check out Glitter and Grunge and see all the other wonderful artists on there.
Talk to you soon,
deborah

Kayaking with my sweetie.

2009-07-20T21:05:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
last Sunday my hubby and I took out our Kayak to the local lake and had a nice leisurely peaceful afternoon on the water. There's something so wonderful about a non engine powered boat, so calming.......
The sound of the water lapping up on the shore and the lulling of the motion of the gentle waves make you so relaxed and happy.
Of course, I was in total Queen mode because my husband did all the paddling, lol. All I had to do was sit back with my feet dangling over into the cool water and enjoy!

Here are a few photos of our day.
Ahhhhh, the dog days of summer...... hope your summer is bringing you relaxation and fun with your loved ones too.
Talk to you soon,
deborah

Enchanted Makeovers event!

2009-07-18T18:29:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

About a month ago I blogged about an organization called Enchanted Makeovers,
a wonderful non-profit created by Terry Grahl that transforms shelters for women and children into places of peace and possibilities.
They had emailed me out of the blue asking if I would like to donate my teacup cards
for their Celebration of Cooking event that they were putting on for the girls and I just

was so honored to have them ask and I jumped at the opportunity.
Well, their event was held a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to show you a quick

video of the day.

There's even a shot of my teacup cards and it just makes me smile to know I

got to be a part of this wonderful event.

Hope you enjoy the music and the happy day :)

Enchanted Makeover video

talk to you soon,
deborah

I just love this photo! Old teacups

2009-07-16T16:08:00.001-07:00

San Francisco bay view!

2009-07-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Last weekend I went down to the San Francisco bay area for
a family reunion/going away party for my nephew.
I caught a ride down with my son and of course we couldn't
let the opportunity pass us by to stop for a minute at Treasure
Island and take in the view of the city of San Fran.

Hope you enjoy the scenery.

Talk to you soon, deborah

Tour de France Stage 6 Preview with Lance Armstrong and Dedication | LIVESTRONG.COM

2009-07-09T16:25:00.001-07:00

Hi all,
I just found this short little clip of Lance while on his tour de france race and I couldn't resist
posting it here for all of you to see.
talk to you soon,
deborah

Tour de France Stage 6 Preview with Lance Armstrong and Dedication | LIVESTRONG.COM

Shared via AddThis

Michael, we'll miss you

2009-07-07T21:49:00.000-07:00

He was not a king, he was not perfect, he was a human being who had a gift
of dance and music that touched the world.

I'll miss you Michael.

Lance Armstrong! For real!

2009-06-25T16:16:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Sunday on Fathers day I had the best opportunity!
Our little town was holding their annual bike race and lo and behold Lance Armstrong decided to take part this year!!!
I've been following Lances career and life over the years but never
thought I'd get to see him in person, so this was very exciting!
(He's the rider to the right of the motorcycle, in the gold yellow and black, his livestrong colors)

Lance Armstrong has won the Tour de France seven times now and is the current record holder for that event, he's now going to try for an eighth win soon. And if I were a betting woman, I'd place my bets on him, that's for sure!
I've heard the comments here and there that Mr. Armstrong is not always such a polite and sweet guy, but anyone who can raise millions of dollars for cancer research, fight with all his being to survive testicular and brain cancer and also win the Tour de France seven times is an amazing human being and I am without a doubt sooooo thrilled that I got to witness him
in his element.

Thank you Lance Armstrong, for never giving up and giving us all a super Fathers day afternoon.

talk to you soon,
deborah

Thank you Cinderella Moments!

2009-06-22T15:09:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Caroline from Cinderella Moments sent me
this lovely blog award today!
I adore the photo, and it was such a nice surprise to
see that she visits and enjoys reading my blogging
words.
She has a lovely shop on Etsy, so check it out when
you get a chance!
Caroline also creates these amazing art buttons
that totally make me oooohhhh
and ahhhhhh.

Thank you Caroline
for such a wonderful award!!!

talk to you all soon,
deborah

Fans of Marie Antoinette!

2009-06-18T11:25:00.001-07:00

Hi all,
Here is my Marie Antoinette pink foo foo box!
It came out looking like a fancy pink wedding cake, maybe even like something that Marie herself would of ordered!

It took many hours to design and create but I had the best time
working with all that pink ribbon and gorgeous lace and pearls.
I also added vintage pink buttons and a vintage crystal clear glass button to the pic of Marie.
Then when I added the clear glass glitter, it just made me dance around the room with delight!

If you are interested in reading more about it, then go to my etsy shop and see more.
Hope you like it too, even if you aren't a pink kind of girl, this just
came out so girly that it will make you say ahhhhhhhh.

talk to you all soon,
deborah

Spiritual side of Van Gogh

2009-06-14T13:34:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
I've been reading the book "The Shoes of Van Gogh"
a spiritual and artistic journey to the ordinary.
And let me tell you, it is fantastic!!!

The author of the book is Cliff Edwards who also wrote the book "Van Gogh and God"
and his connection to Vincent van Gogh is totally fierce and touching.
I too have always felt a connection (some say addiction, lol)
to van Gogh because of his spiritual search as well as his artistic journey
and to read the writings of someone who also has such
a passion for this tortured and genius of an artist is such a pleasure to read.

Also at the beginning of the book is a forward written by Henri Nouwen who
has taught several seminars on "The Ministry of Vincent van Gogh".
Here is an excerpt of that forward:
"After all these decades of van Gogh studies, finally someone opens up for us
Vincent's deepest quest and convincingly shows that the art of the "sorrowful, yet
always rejoicing" Dutch painter is of deep theological and spiritual significance.
Cliff Edwards radically dispels the view that Vincent was lost in religious fanaticism
until he found his true vocation as a painter.
He clearly demonstrates that the whole of Vincent's life and work is a rich
source for all those who search for a deeper knowledge of God".

Henri Nouwen later went on to write:
Few writers or painters have influenced me as much as Vincent.
This deeply wounded and immensely gifted Dutchman
brought me in touch with my own brokenness and talents in ways nobody else
could. He painted what I had not before dared to look at; he questioned what I
had not before dared to speak about; and he entered into spaces of the heart
that I had not before dared to come close to. By doing so he brought me in
touch with many of my fears and gave me the courage to go further and deeper
in my search for a God who loves.
And now here is the book: Van Gogh and God.
It almost seems that Cliff Edwards,
in his careful and sensitive study of Vincent's spiritual journey, is telling me that
I was not crazy after all when I spoke of Vincent as one of the main spiritual guides
in my life and when I invited students to discover him as a true source of
theological reflection".

Henri concludes his forward with these words:
"I am deeply grateful that Van Gogh and God has been written. and I am
convinced that those who read it will find in Vincent a lasting spiritual companion".

I too am deeply grateful to Cliff Edwards for writing this wonderful book, and if
you also are a fan of Vincent van Gogh then you will love it too. It has brought
tears to my eyes and touched my heart in so many ways and I have only read
half the book!
So, check it out this summer and you'll be glad you did.

talk to you soon,
deborah

The joy of giving

2009-06-06T16:55:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
About a month ago someone contacted me about making my tea
tags for their non profit event, and while doing research on it
I became more and more excited about the opportunity.
The name of the organization is called Enchanted Makeovers
and the founder is a woman named Terri Grahl.
Enchanted Makeovers is a non-profit organization that transforms shelters for women and children into places of peace and possibilities—not just where basic needs are met, but spiritual needs for hope and beauty also.
And they are putting on a celebration of cooking event on June 25th.
The girls will be the belles of the ball and will be treated to a day of music,
flowers, delicious food, gifts and treats.

I know that this day will make lovely memories for all who participate and I am honored
to be able to be a part of this wonderful event.
I pray that my little tea tags will bring joy and fun to each girl as they hold them in
their hands, and that this special day will always remind them that they are loved.

When you get a chance check out the above links and learn more about this wonderful
organization and how it all got started.

talk to you soon,
deborah

Ahhhhh, the ocean......

2009-05-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Last weekend my nephew got married on the northern california coast
and it was sooooo wonderful.
I grew up living near the ocean all of my childhood but then about 10 years
ago moved to the mountains, so any chance I get to hang out near the sea, is a
chance I jump at.
Oh I miss it so much, even
the fog, lol.

Here are a few photos of the trip.

I loved this little church in town.
What a worship service they must have every Sunday, with the waves crashing outside the chapel doors!

My hubby and I stayed in this quaint little red cottage and the view was to die for!!!

Yep, they even had a swing to sit on as you gazed out onto the ocean.

Believe me when I say, it sure was difficult to pull ourselves away.

Here's the wedding party at
the rehearsal.

The ocean and romance, who could ask for anything more?!

talk to you all soon,
deborah

and the winner is.........

2009-05-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

Misseskwittys!!!!!
Congrats to you Karen!!
I hope you enjoy all the ZNE goodies.

For those of you that don't know Karen, you must go and check out her shop on etsy
called misseskwittys. She creates the darlingist (is that a word?) birdie bookmarks and other
wonderful cheery items that will make your heart smile.
Here's my fav in her shop right now, french dots bird tags. Aren't they soooo cute!

Hope you all are enjoying the final days of spring. And that each day brings you
much joy and laughter with friends and family.

talk to you soon,
deborah

Yeahhhh, the giveaway has begun!!!

2009-05-13T00:47:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

Yes, the ZNE basket giveaway has finally arrived!
And I will be soooo jealous of whoever wins it, because there
are some treasures in it that I would love to keep!!!
The ZNE art retreat was soooo wonderful for many reasons but the best part was meeting some of the most amazing women
artists.
At the vendors fair on Saturday and Sunday I went around to a few of these talented ladies and asked if they would like to contribute to a blog giveaway and they all were so generous and happy to be a part of it.
The five artists who contributed are so talented and on top of the talent they are also wonderful sweet women. I was so blessed in meeting them and now being able to say that we are friends.

During the make and take sessions I had a table next to Ann Denise of the etsy shop whimfancydesigns and she was giving a workshop on these darling girly crepepaper wands!!!
Everyone just were drawn to their whimsy and color and of course the lovely glitter. Ann Denise and I chatted away the whole day and we had so much fun. I was thrilled when she presented me with one of her wands to put in the giveaway basket! Make sure you check out her etsy shop and see all of her wonderful creations :)

Heidi of the etsy shop birdsofafeather makes these super cute crepe ruffled trims and packages them up all so pretty. I knew who Heidi was through Sadie lou and was so happy when I got to meet her in person. She is a sweetie pie! The giveaway basket will include two packages of her trim, pink and lavendar. Make sure you check out Heidis etsy shop for more pretties :)

The next goodie is from Iva of ivascreations. Her creations are works of art. The fairy land lamp shadow box that she taught at the ZNE workshop was amazing!!!! I am not kidding you! it was
beautiful! And whoever wins this giveaway will be so lucky to own one of her creations. It's a petite victorian tussie mussie, that I was so tempted to hide away for my very own!!!

The next contributor was claire of glitterandgrunge. Claire and her husband have a website that artists sell their handmade artwork on.
The basket will include a pkg. of glitterandgrunges little birdie cupcake picks. They are sooo cute and of course have lots of glitter on them :)
Claire and Aaron contributed more then art at the ZNE convention, their sweet spirits and enthusiasm made us all feel welcomed and brought pure joy to the weekend! Make sure you check out their website for more fun and talent.

And last but not least is the etsy shop Stafforshiregardendes igns.
Shari is an amazing artist and I felt an instant kinship with her the moment we met. Her creations are so wonderful and whoever wins this basket of giveaways will be the proud owner of one of her sweet charms.

So, there you have it!
I want to say a huge joyful thank you to all the artists who contributed to the giveaway and whoever wins is going to be doing the happy dance for days!!! lol.

I also included a few other goodies that I got from the ZNE convention and it will all come packaged up in this cute kittie tin.

So, if you'd like a chance to win this wonderful giveaway basket, just leave me a comment on my blog and in about a week I will pick the winner.

talk to you all soon,
deborah

I haven't forgotten the giveaway!

2009-05-08T21:20:00.001-07:00

Hi all,
Just wanted you all to know that I have not forgotten about the ZNE giveaway goodies. I just have not got caught up on everything yet and can't get a bit of time to put the giveaway together yet, but I will get to it soon!!!
My new goal is to post about it on Monday sooooo don't give up on me.
Okay, here's another sneak peek of some items that may be included :)

Zne giveaway sneak peek!

2009-05-07T10:07:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Just wanted to give out a little sneak peek of my ZNE giveaway!
This crepe paper wand was created by one of the vendors at the
ZNE convention and everyone at the make and take class just left
the table so happy after they were finished with their creations.

I'll be posting the giveaway tonight and bragging about all the
amazing artists!!!
So stay tuned.......

deborah

I'm home!!!! from ZNE

2009-05-04T13:11:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
just wanted to post a quick note to let you know I am home safe and sound and had an amazing inspirational, life changing art experience at the ZNE convention! I have lots more photos to show and I'll be posting about a wonderful
giveaway basket full of ZNE things later this week, so stay tuned for the fun.

My car is now back in running order and carried me safely home and
I am soooo full of new ideas and so thrilled with my new artist friends!
I will be telling you all about these new friends and also writing about
my meeting Anna Corba and how her class went! Let's just say for starters "AMAZING"
and that is not just about her class but about her too!!!

Anyway, that's just a sneak peek of what's to come and as soon as I get back
to my somewhat "normal" schedule, lol. I'll post away :)

blessings to you all,
deborah
(PS. I slept for 12 hours last night!!! I was totally exhausted, but it was a wonderful
exhaustion, lol.)

ZNE is here!

2009-04-30T00:58:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Yeahhhh, I made it to the Marriot Pleasanton hotel and then zipped over to the Studio 7 art gallery where the ZNE registration began.
Chel (she's the one in the yellow and white) is the ZNE creator and she is sooooo organize d!
We all received huge goodie bags and fun stuff and we enjoyed the most beautiful and delicious chocolate bon bons!!!!
Wonderful guitar player and singer, John Troast, was there to serenade us all as we walked
around the gallery and got to know all the other artists and ZNE attendees.
Then a bunch of us jaunted down the street to a local shop and spent our 5$ gift certificate. Of course, most of us spent more then the 5$, lol.
And the best part of all for me is that I got to meet my etsy forum friend Pam Carriker in person!
She is as sweet and wonderful as I thought she would be :)
Tomorrow starts our workshops with a group of amazing artists (photo below shows 8 of the instructors).
I am taking a class from Anna Corba. I even brought her book along with me so I can get her to sign it. And then the next day I am taking a class from Brandi on creating backgrounds for collaging etc.
The classes will be all day, with a lunch break, so we'll all be pretty tired I'm sure by the end
of the day, but oh so inspired too!
Oh! the only bad part of the day? My car started acting strange after the registration, but happily got me back to the hotel.
So tomorrow, I have to call AAA to come tow it to the autoshop!
Happily, the hotel has a shuttle to take us all to the convention center for our classes so I'm trying not to stress out about it and to just think about the art!!!! lol

Hope you enjoyed the photos, and I'll keep you all posted on all the fun as the days go along.

talk to you soon,
deborah

Journey to ZNE !

2009-04-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Well, I am off to Pleasanton for
the ZNE paper arts convention!! Yippeeeee!
Tonight is the opening meet and greet at a local art gallery and then
thursday and friday I am taking two all day classes on learning
how to make backgrounds for collaging and also learning how to
use beeswax in my art, so I am sooo excited.
Saturday and Sunday is open to the public and there will be
booths selling ephemera and crafts etc.
There will also be make and take 1 hour classes that anyone can
sign up for and I will be teaching 4 classes on making my petite
tussie mussies.
I also get to meet fellow artists and one of my etsy friends, Pam,
will be flying in to teach also so it will be fun.
I will be blogging every day to let you see all the happenings so
stay tuned for ZNE mania, lol.

talk to you soon,
deborah

My daily walks

2009-04-28T00:46:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
I guess the title should really say "my once a week walk, or my whenever I
get around to it walk, but that's not the point of this post, lol.
I just thought I'd show you a little peek at what I see every time I take a walk, however often that is.
It's the trail that leads around my house. And this little building is the water
well shed.
I finally got around to painting a garden mural on the blank wall and soon will plant a few lavender plants in front of the mural as soon as the weather settles down.
The water fountain statute was given to me from a friend and it just brings
such a smile to my face as I stroll by on my exercise regime.
It too will be filled with flowers soon.

Any hoo, that's all I wanted to say and thought you might enjoy a little peek of my occasional trek around the trail.

Talk to you soon,
deborah

Today is Etsy day!!!

2009-04-24T15:13:00.001-07:00

Hi all! Today is etsy day and all us etsy members
are proclaiming to the world that we love etsy!
For those of you who don't know what etsy is, it's a
online site that sells handmade crafts and art as well
as photographs and supplies and more!

I have a shop on etsy named starrydeborah and it is
so much fun!
So, if you have never checked out the site of etsy or are just now hearing about it, hop on
over there and check it out. You will be amazed at all the wonderful talented artists there.

Go etsy!!!!

Romance alert!

2009-04-17T18:55:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
I just received my latest edition of Victoria magazine and there's an article in it featuring
a book called "Wedding days: When & How Great Marriages Began" and I have to share
a paragraph from it. It just touched my heart so deeply and being the hopeless romantic that
I am, even brought tears to my eyes.
Be careful, it might do the same to you :)

In 1644, the English statesman and writer Sir Richard Fanshawe married Anne Harrison
in Oxford, England. After King Charles was beheaded in 1649, the Fanshawes sided with
the Royalists until Sir Richard was captured by Oliver Cromwell's troops and imprisoned
at Whitehall in 1651. Rain or shine, Anne stood beneath her husband's prison window every
morning at 4 o'clock, which was the only time they could see each other for months, until
she won his release. It rained a lot that year, and Anne later recalled how the rain went in
at her neck and came out by her heels. Eventually, she wrote her memoirs about their life
together. This is what she said about Richard, more than 350 years ago:

"Glory be to God, we never had but one mind throughout our lives. Our souls were
wrapped up in each other's, our aims and designs one, our loves one, and our
resentments one. We so studied one the other, that we knew each other's mind by
our looks. Whatever was real happiness, God gave it me in him."

Have a romantic weekend,
deborah

white roses

2009-04-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Today I am in a white rose mood.
Of course, I am always in a white rose mood, because they are my favorite flower.
If I were rich, I would have a bouquet of fresh white flowers in each of room of my house! Even the bathroom!
There is just something so elegant and pure about the layers of white petals.

Ahhhh, what a lovely mood to be in.

talk to you soon,
deborah

Paris doors.....

2009-04-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Last week, one of my most fav blogs, ask Kari & Kijsa, had a door party.
It was called "door s to adore" and it was so inspiring to see how everyone's door decor
was so unique.
Some of the doors were simple and sweet, some elegant and grand but all were
beautiful and artistic.
Of course, it got me to thinking about my own front door which is soooooo not appealing
and to tell you the truth I have been pondering for awhile on how I can turn it into something
wonderful to greet my guests too, instead of the drab grey metal covered with old yellowing tape left over from christmas decorations decor!! lol
Of course, my soon to be lovely door will have a french flair and lots of ohhh la la.
But until then, I thought I'd show you some of the doors I took photos of when I was
in Paris France.
Talk about doors with flair! And along with that flair is so much history, I can just imagine
the tales these doors would tell if they could talk.

So enjoy the Parisian
doors and don't forget
to check out
the"doors to adore" link.

And, I'll soon have my own door to adore and I'll be sure to show it to you as my first guests!

talk to you soon,
deborah

Corner in your world?

2009-04-07T15:05:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

I just ran across this photo today and it amused me so much, that I had to share with you.
My mind started to create a whole scenario on who this woman is and what she does for a living.
Is she an artist?
Is she a writer?
Maybe she's finally cleared out this little corner in the midst of chaos and has started her own "get organized website" lol.
Maybe she's a hermit who never leaves home?
Maybe this is the only place in her life where she
can get away from stress.
Maybe she is buying plane tickets to Europe for a month long adventure?

I told you the list is endless!

What do you think she is doing?

talk to you soon,
deborah

Getting my art work "out in the real world"

2009-04-01T14:56:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Today I took a few of my mixed media collages to a local bead shop that is in the process of starting an art gallery to go along with their bead store.

I brought in a large and a medium work and then some smaller pieces, along with one painting.

The owner seemed to like what I brought and said no one else had brought in collages yet, so I
took that as a good sign. I like bringing art work to people that they are not familiar with and the owner thought so too.
The shop is wanting to bring more local artists into their store and will be doing a feature table on each individual artist as the month progresses. Along with advertising and such, I think it would be a nice opportunity to get my art "out there" into the real world, lol.

The only drawback is that they want a 60/40 commission and that is difficult for me to go along with, because I already don't make a very big profit on my art work as it is and this would really bring my profit down to miniscule!
But on the other hand, like I said previously, it would get my collages in the publics eye, so......

For me, and for many artists, the business side of being an artist is frustrating and some times discouraging.
And it can put us into a creative slump because we start second guessing our artistic talent.
Thoughts like "maybe I should just give up this art stuff" or "who would want to buy something I created" etc. run frantically through our fragile artists spirits.
I'm thinking that these thoughts have invaded every creative persons thoughts, whether you are a writer or musician, artist or inventor.
It is all a part of being creative and sharing with the world what we love.
So, with that said, lol,
I will venture on with my "art career", for to stop being an artist would be like cutting off my arm or leg. It would impare me beyond imagination and cause me much sorrow.
And whether or not my art work sells is really not the issue, the issue for me is what brings me joy?
What can I bring to this world that will also bring a feeling of hope, peace and imagination to others.
I want my legacy to be one of joy and passion.

How about you, what can you bring to this world and when you bring it forth does it edify others and make them hopeful?
I pray with all my heart that it does.

talk to you soon,
deborah

Current art projects

2009-03-29T16:06:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

I don 't know about you but for some reason I seem to be always working
on more than one project at time. And it isn't any different when I'm
creating art.
So I thought I'd show you my current art pieces that I am working on.

The first one is a mixed media collage that I am creating for a charity
event in my local city. The event is called "Art for the heart" and all the
proceeds go towards our local program "hospitality house" which helps the homeless in our area.
My collage is in the very beginning stages so you are getting a very early sneak peek of it.

The next project is the first painting from my van gogh series that I am so excited about.
This art piece is taking me out of my comfort zone of colors and pushing me into
the world of blue, lol.
I tend to be an artist of browns, blacks, golds, creams etc. so this new journey has
been good for me.

The third project I'm working on is an Eiffel tower themed piece.
For those of you who read my blog regularly or personally know me, you know that anything french themed is hard for me to resist!
And one of my etsy friends of popalicioustoo.etsy.com
has recently added wooden cutouts in her shop and lo and behold, a few of the shapes are of the Eiffel tower and fleur de lis.
Soooo, that got me brainstorming on what I
could do with those lovely cutouts and this is my first piece.
I just hope that when the time comes to list it in my etsy shop that I can let it go!

Soooo, that's what I've been working on lately, and I guarantee you that before all three of these projects are finished I will have started a few more, lol.

Talk to you soon,
deborah

Patterns we create

2009-03-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
I just read a sentence in a magazine a bit ago and it made me sit and ponder it for awhile.

"Pay close attention to the patterns in your life. They're the keys to doors only you can open."

We all have patterns, some positive, some negative.
And really, we do have the strength to change them. Whether it's patterns having to do
with relationships or health, habits or thoughts, it is within us to change them or not.

I'm not a person who gives advice very often, but this sentence just jumped out at me and
I thought maybe others would find some wisdom in it too.
So, here's to patterns, ones we need to change or ones we need to etch into our hearts and souls even deeper.

talk to you soon,
deborah

I love this photo!

2009-03-25T00:11:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

I just wanted to show you this beautiful photo.

The photographer is the sweetest and most talented young lady I know!
Her name is Juliet and she's my daughter!!
One beautiful spring day we decided to have our family Easter dinner outside on our back deck and I just love how she caught the light reflecting through the glass.
She definitely has an artists eye.
Check out her shop on etsy called etta's eyes when you get a chance.

talk to you soon,
deborah

Charity Auction!

2009-03-20T21:12:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
I just wanted to give a shout out for the up and coming charity auction that will benefit National
Childrens Cancer Society.
A few months ago I was honored to be able to participate in an art project to raise money for children with cancer and their families.
The idea was started by Jewel from the etsy shop Shabby Boutique.
She came up with the idea of bringing a group of artists together to create an altered art book that would be auctioned off for NCCS.
Each artist was to create a page, (here's my page) front and back that would then be added to all the other artists pages and formed into a book. It was such a fun project to do and knowing that the final result would be raising money for such a worthy cause made it even more rewarding.

The auction will start March 22nd on ebay and will go until March 29th.
Hope you can hop on over there and give a bid for this wonderful cause.

Here's the orginal blog post that started it all:
Love and Hope for all Children
and you can also check out some of the pages on our flickr page too.

talk to you soon,
deborah

Design team creation

2009-03-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

I have joined a group called "The Design Team" started by the etsy shop, duct tape and denim, and every other month each member of the team will receive a kit of supplies from dt&d's very own personal stash of supplies in which we are each to create 3 art pieces.
I just wanted to show you all what I came up with.
I actually didn't realize until today that I was suppose to create 3 items, so this time around I only have one creation, but next month I'll go for the 3!
I started out with a canvas board and then I stained the background with a acrylic brown paint.
I then tore up some of the printed papers that were in my challenge kit and added the theme of travel.
I then added the luggage tag and small envelope and various other papers from the challenge pkg. and then used some of my own stash of supplies as well.
I really love being a part of this challenge, because it is making me think outside of my usual supply of stuff and giving me a fresh perspective on what I can create.
Hope you like it too.

If you are also an artist and are looking for great collage and art supplies, make sure you check out ducttapeanddenims etsy shop.
And also take a little time to enjoy their blog too, called "keepinupwiththetatums.
You'll be glad you did :)

talk to you soon,
deborah

I couldn't resist!

2009-03-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
I just couldn't resist putting up this photo of my grandaughter and me.
Hope her chubby cheeks give you a little smile!

talk to you soon,
deborah

Friendship award from Sadielouwho

2009-03-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

A couple of days ago I was awarded a friendship blogger award by the amazing Sadielou!
the creator and inspiration behind the Lollishops marketplace.
She was asked to find 8 other bloggers that have friendly and charming blogs and I am so honored that she chose starrydeborah as one of her favs.
Thank you Sadie!
Make sure you check out Sadielouwho and all the other vendors at lollishops when you get a chance, it will add oodles of frill and glitter to your day :)
I have a shop over on lollishops too, its call the french teacup. so hope to see you there as well.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Award:
"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wow, to just pick 8 of my fav bloggers is a very difficult decision, because there are soooo many amazing and interesting ones to chose from.......

Okay, here they are :)

the bag ladys art
the glimmering prize
Ask Kari & Kijsa
Creative Chaos
Everyday possibilities
Tiedup memories
The seasonal cottage
Heather Bullard

Hope you find these blogs inspiring and that they bring you just a little bit
of extra joy to your blog reading.

talk to you soon,
deborah

Snow train

2009-03-06T20:22:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
You know how sometimes you don't have anything new to say and then
all of the sudden, there's too much to say?
At least I'll have a few new posts coming about :)

Today I'm going to show you a few photos from the recent trip
my hubby and I took up to Reno on the snow train.

If you have never taken a trip on the train before, then I am suggesting you try it.
The seats are great, tons of leg room and comfy and a huge
picture window to gaze out of.
If you are in the need for a stress free, easy going trip then this
is the way to go.
Normally it takes about 1 and 1/2 hours for us to drive to Reno but on the train it took us 3 hours. So, take a book or magazine or just sit and enjoy the view of where ever you are going.
I am in love with this way of traveling!
If you are in need of company, just go and hang out in the viewing car where both
sides of the train are all windows all the way up onto the ceiling or take a seat in the on board restaurant.

As for my hubby and I, we just enjoyed sitting together watching the snow.
So romantic!

The last few pics are from the windows of our hotel room!
We were so surprised when we entered the room, two of the walls were all windows! And being on the 23rd floor, gave us fantastic views.

Our trip this time was just over night, but we promised each
other that we would come back soon and spend more time.

Hope you enjoyed our train journey and the wonderful scenery, and that it inspires you to take a little time out of your own busy schedule, to sit back relax and enjoy each others company.

talk to you soon,
deborah

Vincent van Gogh, my friend

2009-02-28T18:09:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

I just finished reading the book, "The Yellow House" ( van Gogh, gauguin, and nine turbulent weeks in provence).
And I couldn't put the book down!
I am a huge Vincent van Gogh fan and I have a book collection of over 40 books written about him and his art. Books about the spiritual side of Vincent, about the women in his life, the complete letters he wrote to his brother Theo, etc. and this Yellow house book has been calling to me for awhile to take it down off of the bookcase and read it's contents, so I finally did and I am soooo happy I heeded the books call.
For Vincent, the yellow house represented a place where he would finally be accepted, a place where other artists would come together in harmony and create art side by side, a brotherhood of artists.
Paul Gauguin was to be the yellow houses's first guest, the total opposite of Vincent van gogh, and maybe that's why Vincent was drawn to him.
The two artists work together for awhile but eventually tempers and egos get in the way and all does not end well.
(This is where the incident of "the ear" takes place)
And even in the midst of conflict and strife Vincent van Gogh engages in one of his most astonishing creative spirits in Western art. During his year in Arles, he produces some two hundred paintings, many of which were masterpieces!
While in France, my husband and I traveled to the various cities where Vincent had lived.
We got to see the yellow house in Arles and the cafe where he hung out with friends.
And then we traveled to St. Remy and stayed right down the road from the asylum where Vincent lived for a bit. It definitely was a very surreal feeling walking down the haunting empty
hallway where this great artist also had walked.
Our last part of the trip was spent walking the dusty streets in Auvers where Vincent spent his last days
and it is forever etched into my soul of the day I got to sit in the room where Vincent lived the last weeks of his life, so heart wrenching and inspirational, all at the same time.

The day of visiting Vincent and Theos grave melded my heart with theirs and I will never forget that gorgeous blue sky I gazed upon as I stood at the foot of their gravestones.

Vincent van Gogh was a very complex man, full of genius, detemination and complexity and the last paragraph of the book puts it all so wonderfully, so I will leave you with it's words.

"Vincent wasn't only an inspired, mad artist; he was a great painter desperately trying to remain sane. He saw the world with a rare intensity which gave great power to his work. And it was while looking and painting that he knew the greatest pleasure of which his tormented nature was capable."

talk to you soon,
deborah

Romance and decorating

2009-02-25T18:04:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
Just thought I'd show you a couple of corners of my home.

I have always loved the look of dried flowers, so I have a few bouquets hanging up here and there in my house.
I don't do anything special to make them dry, I just hang them upside down and they do the rest.

Simple but beautiful.

talk to you soon,
deborah

When it rains, it pours!

2009-02-17T18:48:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Yes, it has been raining and snowing here in Northern California like crazy, which is a wonderful thing, because our state needs it sooooo badly! But, I'm not talking about that kind of downpour, I'm talking about my latest winning streak of blog giveaways!

Being a total optimist, I enter the contests with plenty of hope and faith, trying to look past the list of names that are also hoping that their name will be the "lucky winner".
And, then out of the blue, I won not one, not two, but three of the last giveaways that I entered!
I felt like I had won the lottery and squealed with delight with each pkg. that came in my mailbox. My poor hubby had to endure my "look, honey, aren't this cute" remarks but I actually think he was getting a kick out of my being so thrilled with all the goodies!

Hope you enjoy seeing my "winnings" and I hope that you will check out the shops and blogs of the wonderful artists who put on these lovely giveaways.

The first giveaway I won was from the wonderful shop on etsy called Artsnark.etsy.com.
I met this artist on the mixed media thread and when I saw that she was having a giveaway I jumped at the chance to take part! And, I'm sooooo happy I did.
Artsnark also has a blog called "ArtSnark's Artifacts, ar t and musings for the eclectic soul" so when you get a chance jump over there and check it out, you'll be glad you did.
I can't wait to use the heart punch and rubber stamp on my own creations and the artists board and pretty papers are perfect for my collages.
Thanks ArtSnark for all the wonderful goodies :)

The second giveaway was from Catnipstudiotoo.etsy.com and I have been a fan of this shop since I first joined etsy. The reason why? because of their amazing and beautiful hand decoupaged egg and ball ornaments!
My dream is to decorate my christmas tree in these gorgeous ornaments one day! And now I have my very own collection started and I couldn't be more thrilled!
Catnipstudio also has a beautiful blog, so make sure you take a little time to enjoy the wonderful photos and musings :)
Thank you catnipstudio for all the lovely goodies, the tags, the beautiful paper and stencils and now my own gorgeous ornaments!

And last but not least! Thank you to tiedupmemories.etsy.com Every time I browse this shop, I am just blown away from the darling creations! So unique and pretty and I had been stalking a certain french style necklace in the shop for months and one day I just couldn't take the waiting any longer and bought it for my very own!
I wear it every chance I get and it gets so many compliments.
Tiedupmemories is new to the blogging world and this was her first blog contest, so I feel very honored to be the winner of her very first giveaway!
So, if you are in need of a cheery fun blog then check it out :)
Thankyou, tiedupmemories for such a darling prize.

Hope this post encourages you to throw your own name into the ring of giveaways.
You'll be happy you did :)
talk to you soon,
deborah

Painting is really my passion

2009-02-07T20:13:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
I just wanted to show off my latest art creation.
Lately I've been really longing to get back to my original love, which is
painting.
Now don't get me wrong, I still love crafting, but getting that paint brush in
my hand just brings me such joy. I've been a painter since childhood and
when I swirl that paint around on the palette and dip the brush into the
acrylics, a feeling of complete unity overtakes my whole being!
It never feels foreign to me, just ease and familiarity.
The one down side though is that each piece takes me quite a bit of
time to create, which doesn't help me fill up my etsy shop very quickly.
Anyway, that's another issue, lol.
My plan is to start painting alot more and this is just the start of my
color series.
I'm really excited about my next series which is going to be based on
the inspiration of Vincent Van Gogh, so stay tuned for more color.
talk to you soon,
deborah

Remembering my grandmother

2009-01-29T16:09:00.000-08:00

Hi all

Today I started to fill out a memory book of my family history and it was asking for such things as:
What do you remember of your childhood home?
What was your bestfriends name?
What was your grandmother like?

and for some reason I decided that I didn't want to fill it out after all, lol, but it did get me to thinking about some of my childhood memories which got me to thinking about my moms mom, my grandmother.
Even though she hasn't been here on this earth for many years now, I still miss her and I wanted to show a few photos of her.

Didn't she have the cutest round chubby cheeks (which I also seemed to inherit) and I'm sure that expression of hers made it hard for anyone to say "no" to!
Of course, her expression in the second photo
puts no doubt in my mind that she must of had some what of a mischievous spark behind that cuteness!

But my favorite photo of them all is this 1920's shot, of her dressed in her wonderful sense of style.
Did you notice the tie?

Even though my grandmother was a proper lady of her time she also was a rebel and was the first woman in her small little town to wear a pair of pants!!!
Ohhhh, the scandal!

And as I was pondering this scenario I had a lightbulb moment of my own history.

When I was in Junior High (yes, a long time ago, lol) there was a rule in our small town, that girls were not allowed to wear pants to school.
I thought it was a ridiculous rule because we lived on the coast and during the winter it was foggy and cold all day long, so one day I decided that I would wear pants to school.
My mom said it was my decision (yep, she is a rebel too, lol) and so I ventured out in all my independent glory wearing "pants".
I did feel somewhat anxious the whole day but no one said a word to me, until my way out the school doorway at the end of the day.
I was told in a very clear and loud voice by the school secretary to never go against the school rules again and the glare she gave me, put fear into my little soul!
That's all I needed, a severe reprimand, but guess what happened a year later?
The school rules were changed and girls would be allowed to wear pants whenever they
wanted!!

My grandmothers birthday is Monday and I will be thinking of her as I go through my day.
I will think of her independent spirit, her strength and most of all, how she is a part of me to the end of my days.

talk to you soon,
deborah

Oh oh, the home decorating bug is biting!!!

2009-01-26T17:56:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
I don't know about you , but I know that spring is approaching when my mind starts
to meander into the home decorating realm!

I love it though, because decorating is probably my biggest passio n. Even over art!
Of course I think of decorating as a kind of art too, so I get to combine both of my passions in one full swoop :)
I've been wanting to repaint my master bedroom for a while now and I am determined that it will happen this year! I'm keeping to the same color scheme of cream, but I want to paint the walls in broad vertical stripes. Alternating each stripe with a flat finish of cream paint and then a semigloss stripe of cream paint.
Subtle but elegant.

There's just something that I find soothing about a white bedroom, maybe it's the purity of it or the crispness. And when the sunshine streams in onto the cream colored walls, it is just sooooo beautiful and romantic.

Of course if I could have the view of the above photo then I would probably never leave my room no matter what the color!

Throw in a glamorous crystal chandelier and maybe a gold
carved mirror and voila, the perfect bedroom!

A girl can dream, can't she?

talk to you soon,
deborah