Honoring All Those Who Served

Humpday with a little of this and a little of that.

picture courtesy of Sliekje Digi Stamps

Hello everyone,

Well here it is Wednesday and I have a few thing that I want to share with you - but don’t look for them to be in any kind of order. How I address things is not by any priority scale - just how they pop into my head. So please bear with me.

On Sunday I finished my contribution to The Giant Traveling Post Card that my friend Dana started over at Sinderella Design Studio. The theme of the project was: Make Art, Make Friends; and six artist signed up for the chance to work on a portion of the card and create one awesome piece of work. On Monday I put it in the mail to make its way back to its home base. Yep I was the last one- that is an awesome responsibility and one I hope I met - pretty ballsy for a crazy crafter to be the last. While I can’t share the picture with you till Dana gets things in order and sends all of us our combined journal - with a copy of the finished piece. - I can give you a little peek into my part.

I made an object of nature on which I wanted to showcase - a favorite art quote of mine. To give it texture and depth - I used paper clay.(my new best friend in the craft room). The clay when dry is pretty near as durable as any other clay - but what it has going for it is - it is so light weight.; therefore adds no extra weight when mailing things around the country. It’s sand able, paint able and a lot of fun to play with; I’m hooked.

This morning the UPS guy paid me a visit and I was thrilled to get a wonderful box of goodies. Back during the Practical Magic Party I happened to win a few give a way’s and these awesome soaps and gifties was one of them. Believe me the smell of these soaps is enchanting and so intoxicating. - I love them and wont they look wonderful set in a leaf shaped dish in the bathroom for Thanksgiving. These extraordinary items were from my friend Willow. Please check out her wonderful blog: Wandering in the Woods with the Little Green Witch and her friends etsy store where she purchased the soaps from. etsy store: The Fairy Apothecary.


I’ve been busy rearranging my craft room again. I don’t know about the rest of you - but Mine seems to be a constant work in progress. The more I work in it - the more I think - I need this or that so I can do one thing or the other more efficiently. Or sometimes my ideas spring to mind as my dear Genghis Khat - stretches his legs more and more and starts to play with things he’s not suppose to be playing with.

Last Sat. I went to another Estate Auction and scored a plethora of little shelves that I knew I could make room for in my craft room. (“Yes Sir Knight I realize I don’t have much wall left - but all five of these shelves were only $1.00. How could I pass them up?”) Sometimes I think he goes along with helping me to put them up just to prove to me that I was wrong. - But this time I did good and all the shelves are up and holding some of my treasure which were mixed in with my craft stuff.


I also bought a sturdy cute little knick knack cabinet- that will fit on my shelf and hopefully offer some protection for my unicorns from Genghis’s prying paw. But I have not finished painting it and I want to put some wallpaper on the back - so that will have to wait for another post.


I also bought the cutest picture - it’s frame old and broken up. Not really sure how old it is - I thought maybe from the 1920’s or 1930’s - to me it is kind of Art Deco or Art Nouveau and I fell in love with this fairy as soon as I saw her. The aging picture was torn and wrinkled so she is now resting in my cedar chest - but first, I scanned her into my computer and ran her into my photo restoration software - then feeling a bit in need of some whimsy - I also altered her color and saturation. So my black and white photo is now in shades of teal and white and hangs proudly by my Drayd Tree and all my other fairies.


My Peter Rabbit Calendar on my desk top tells me it’s only 45 days till Christmas; I need to be getting into the Christmas mood and really get serious about my holiday crafting- I have made a few holiday cards and working on a few presents- but that doesn’t even begin to accomplish all the things I want to do.
How about you? Are you almost ready for the holidays- or are you going into stress mode like me?

Hugs,
Penny

Mancat Monday

Do I look happy to have you pointing that camera thingy in my face. Give me a break I haven't finished my morning coffee.

I said enough. - Don't you get it. Leave me alone.

Whatever. I'm just going to ignore you.

Hey evfurry one,
Well here it is another Monday. I was busy all weekend snoopervising where Pellie and Sir Knight put all the new stuff they bought at the auction on Saturday. That takes a lot out of a guy. They just don't seem to get that - now I need to rest and recuperate.

Purrs,
Genghis

P.S. I hate this time change stuff. It makes me crabby and upsets my natural rhythm.

Winsome Wednesday as I Recover from a Very Romantic Tuesday

Yesterday the weather was fair, the sun was shining, and Sir Knight and I were happily entangled in each others arms, eating chocolate covered stawberries and drinking champagne - celebrating Our Wedding Anniversary.

We had thought about a Halloween wedding - but after mulling over the pro's and con's decided that it was better if we stayed home for the passing out of treats (something we both enjoy so much) and then run off and tie the knot. So that is exactly what we did. When Trick 0r Treat hours were over that cool fall night in October 2001 we headed outside to start putting away all the decorations. When we finished that we packed up the car and ran away for a long weekend and our planned elopement. We drove till we were tired and found ourselves in Missouri., figuring that was as good a place as any - we stopped to get a few hours shuteye - before heading out to the courthouse to apply for our license. And the rest is just a blur of bliss - till we headed home as man and wife.

It continues to be blissful to this day. - I had to kiss a lot of frogs - but it was worth it - because- I have truly found the handsome Prince. I might not always be the fair princess he hoped to marry, but he always treats me like one.


Speaking of treats - just look at what he gifted me with. (Picture me here doing the happy dance.) The first three seasons of "The Tudors" ( he didn't realize there was a fourth or I would have had that also - he said we'd pick it up next time we are out.) He also got me the Video game "The Tudors" which is full of many of the characters from the show and I love it - hoping it provides me with ideas for the class on Renaissance, England; I teach at the High School each spring.

Teacup Tuesday

Hello Everyone,

Once again I am posting with Martha & Terri for Teacup Tuesday.

The cup I have chosen to share with you today is this pretty little Bone China cup made in England by Hammersley & Co


Hammmersley and Co. began in 1862 as a china manufacturer at Longton, Stoke-on-Trent by Adams, Scrivener & Co. It went through several name changes, was purchased by Carborundum Ltd. in 1966, merged with Royal Worcester Spode Ltd. in 1976, and was then taken over by Palissy Pottery Ltd., which closed Hammersley's Works in 1982. The Hammersley name was sold to Aynsley in 1989.


From what I can figure out from the makers mark is that my cup is from 1939. Making it a wonderful Vintage treasure.

What I like best about the cup are the wonderful lily of the valley strewn around both the cup and saucer. The meaning of this flower: means return of happiness, purity of heart, sweetness, tears of the Virgin Mary, you've made my life complete, humility, happiness, love's good fortune. The legend of the lily of the valley is that it sprang from Eve's tears when she was kicked out of the Garden of Eden. It is also believed that this flower protects gardens from evil spirits.

A Wee Irish Legend on how the Lily of the Valley came to be ... supplied by Plant-Care.com

"Once upon a time when the world was young, five little fairy sisters were sent on an errand one night, They were each given a tiny white cup and told to fill it with dew for the Queens breakfast.
They had lots of time so they hung their cups on a blade of grass to get them out of the way and danced and danced, They frolicked, as all little girls will until the last minute. Before they knew it, the eastern sky was flushed with rose. The sun was about to rise!
No fairy must be caught away from home when the sun comes up. They were very young and very frightened and ran in great alarm to get their cups. All five tugged and tugged but couldn't loosen their cups, The handles had grown fast to the blade of grass and though they pulled with all their might they couldn't free the cups.
Just as their fright became great, their godmother appeared. She was a kind lady and to protect the little girls from the Queen's wrath, she tied a big green leaf on either side of the cups to hide them."


I know you have other blogs to visit - So I will try not to detain you any longer.
I leave you with this final thought.

"The mere chink of cup and saucers tunes the mind to happy repose." George Gissing

Hope you have a great day.

Hugs,
Penny