rainy day art

rain, thunder, lightning, and some more rain make for a great excuse to spend a little time doodling with some watercolor pencils in my moleskine journal! enjoy your weekend!!

it's all in the presentation

it would seem that i've gone "card crazy"....thankfully, not the "credit" kind of card, but the "preferred customer" type of card. i have discount cards, points cards, and punch cards for stores that i don't even go into any more. so, when the sweet lady in anthropologie asked me if i'd like to sign up for an "anthro card" during my last visit, i hesitated....but quickly changed my mind once i discovered that it came in this cute little floral drawstring pouch. i know.... i'm a total pushover.

and then, a few weeks ago this came in the mail.

tucked inside is a discount card in celebration of my birthday. pushover, or no pushover, i'm just crazy over this little pouch....how cute is this?!!

and now i'm off to use this little goodie. i've got my anthro card, my discount card....oh, and the hook, line and sinker that was used to reel me in! :))

dryer art

i noticed a great project by becky shander in the premier issue of art quilting studio magazine. becky creates beautiful envelopes using dryer sheets....and i was so intrigued that i just had to try it!

first, rescue the used dryer sheets from your laundry room trash can and iron them flat by using a low temperature on your iron.

fold dryer sheet in half and use a template to sew an envelope shape using a straight, zig-zag, or decorative stitch around the edges.

tuck a sweet little something inside and sew a button or decorative ribbon on the flap. the dryer sheet is transparent enough to give the recipient a peek inside.....

....but it's a lot of fun to open it up, too! i followed becky's example by using a piece of cotton quilt batting for my card. then, i tore a piece of watercolor background (that i made a long time ago) into a heart shape and finished it by sewing a favorite Scripture address to the front.

and then, since the dryer sheets smell so good, i decided to make a little "sachet" to hang in my closet. just tuck one of your favorite images in between two layers, sew around each edge, and then attach a ribbon for hanging!

edited: i've had several comments about the darker envelopes in the first photo....becky says they are "dyed" using a 50/50 solution of coffee and water. soak for five minutes and then wring out moisture and lay on paper bags to dry. then iron flat.

click on any image for a better view

inspiration monday

i found myself on one of those "one-thing-leads-to-another-scavenger-hunts" today. for some reason i started to think that my one year blogiversary must be getting close, so i went back into my archives only to discover that i completely missed it because it was back in june! but what i didn't expect to discover was that i became inspired by looking through many of my posts from a year ago! not so much because the blog posts were anything special (believe me, they weren't), but because i could see how i've grown over this past year.....in my artwork, in the way i express myself, and the way i see things around me. and speaking of growth, i'm so excited about how much our wonderfully fantastic blog community has grown...and that's all many, many thanks to you!!

try this: revisit some of your very first blog posts. i promise that you'll see growth on many levels....and i'm hoping that you'll be inspired!

let the sun shine

keep your face always toward the sunshine....and the shadows will fall behind you.

walt whitman

wishing you a weekend filled with sunshine!